Saligia
by Quatermass
Summary: (AU, mostly based on Brotherhood and manga) When he left the Homunculi, Greed had some parting words for Lust, parting words which trouble her, even as she works to bring Liore into strife. Eventually, Lust will question her loyalties to Father and his genocidal plan, and Father will have more Homunculi defying his will...
1. Foreword

**FOREWORD**

If I had to choose my all-time favourite _shounen_ manga of all time, it'd be a toss-up between _Death Note_ and _Fullmetal Alchemist_ , though to be fair, it depends on what sort of fare I want at the moment. If I want more thoughtful fare with a battle of wits more than a battle of bodies and powers, I'd go for _Death Note_. If I wanted something more action-y, then I'd go for _Fullmetal Alchemist_.

I only finished the manga series last year, and I enjoyed it. But one idea that's been buzzing around my head was to do with the Homunculi from the series. Greed showed himself to be an ally of the Elrics, but I had to wonder, what would the series be like if more Homunculi turned traitor? Obviously, this story would be an AU. Lust and Gluttony will definitely turn on Father. But will any others? You'll see…

The title of the story, 'Saligia', is actually a mnemonic device for the names of the Seven Deadly Sins in Latin, and considering that this story's emphasis will be more on the Homunculi (at least at first) than the Elric brothers, it's rather fitting.

Anyway, the usual disclaimers. Firstly, there'll be annotations up the wazoo. You don't like it, well, you can stop reading.

Secondly, there will be spoilers for _Fullmetal Alchemist_. You have been warned.

Thirdly, this is one of my more experimental works, so updates will probably be infrequent.

Finally, the following is a fan-written work. _Fullmetal Alchemist_ is the property of Minoru Arakawa and any other owners I fail to mention. Please support the official release. Otherwise, Truth will take a body part from you. You really _don't_ want to know which one.


	2. Chapter 1: Contemplations in Liore

**CHAPTER 1:**

 **CONTEMPLATIONS IN LIORE**

At the moment, the woman known only as Lust had little to do. Cornello was doing things competently enough for the moment that she didn't need to intervene, though he had sent a luckless and insolent minion for Gluttony to chow down on. It was at times like this that her mind turned inwards, unwanted introspection gnawing away at her soul.

Observe her, sitting at a chair near a telephone. She seems to be the epitome of sexual beauty, her ink black dress hugging her buxom figure in ways that would stoke the fires of the lust of men, and even a few women. Dark hair framed her elegant, if somewhat cruelly beautiful face. Her eyes were violet, with slitted pupils. Just above her cleavage, a strange tattoo had the sigil of an Ouroboros.

Nearby, her brother, Gluttony, chews on his feast. A massive, rotund man with a bald head and a large nose, he seemed like some cartoonish caricature of a man. He was pretty much a child, and Lust considered him to be like a baby brother. Despite his large and unconventional appetite, as well as his rather simple demeanour, Lust liked him. There was something… _pure_ about him, for want of a better term, in that he thought of little else than his stomach, and being nice to her. But she couldn't help but think in ways that he couldn't. Ways that disturbed her, as it meant disloyalty to her kin.

As Lust looked out at the sunset, its light akin to blood, her thoughts turned, as they so often and damnably did in times like these, to the prodigal brother. Her musings were, at best, idle, and at worst, they were treasonous, treacherous to Father. But like flotsam and jetsam on an oceanic current, her thoughts drifted inevitably in one direction: why Greed left them.

He had declared that Father's plans would see the end of his own desires, and had thus left. He had even the gall to invite her to come with him. " _You're smarter than the others, sis! You've actually got a brain in your head, plus you haven't got the hang-ups that Pride and Envy have. Anyway, assuming that Father carries out his plan, what will happen to you guys then? What do you truly want from your life, sis? And will what Father brings about take that away from you? Think it over._ "

These were questions she asked herself, quietly, for many years afterwards. The Promised Day wasn't far off now, relatively speaking, and she asked the questions with increasing frequency and anxiety. The only other of her siblings she dared to ask was Envy (at least regarding what would happen after Father succeeded), who merely brushed her off. She didn't dare ask Pride or Wrath: the two of them were definitely too loyal to Father, and at best, she'd be censured. At worst, she might be melted down and reclaimed into Father for a time, a fate she knew awaited Greed should they ever find him. Sloth was still engaged in his neverending task of carving out the underground tunnels of the Transmutation Circle that spanned all of Amestris, and in any case, he was not the sort to listen to deep and meaningful questions. And Gluttony, bless him, was a simple soul. He wouldn't understand either. Plus, he still had his child-like attachment to Father, although he adored Lust in a simple, little brother-like way.

This was far from the only thought that troubled her: they had a pawn in Isaac McDougal, the Freezing Alchemist, and a very promising one at that. Key word being _had_ : he had been given a Philosopher's Stone to help him do their will in specific parts of Amestris, but he had cottoned onto their plan, didn't like it, and decided that he would destroy Central, and King Fuhrer Bradley along with it. The Freezing Alchemist didn't know that Bradley was the Homunculus Wrath, at least not as far as Lust knew. She had sent word to Central, and to Wrath. Of course, she probably would have heard of it by now if King Fuhrer Bradley had been killed, but she wanted some news at the very least, some assurance that the Freezing Alchemist had been put on ice, as it were.

As if on cue, the telephone rang, and Lust picked it up. "Lust here," she said, knowing that whoever rang her on this phone would know her.

" _Ah, my dear sister_ ," came the paternal tones, ironically, of her youngest brother, Wrath. " _I regret to inform you that the Freezing Alchemist is dead, and his plan to destroy Central thwarted. It's been hectic here, I could only call you now once I managed to get rid of some of the paperwork. I swear, paperwork is going to kill me long before the Promised Day._ "

Lust smirked at her brother's sardonic sense of humour. "Ah…I see. So Isaac's dead, is he? That's a shame, I had high hopes for him too. But the Philosopher's Stone?"

" _Disintegrated shortly after I killed him._ "

"Sounds like he overused it," Lust remarked. Gluttony chose that moment to bite, very noisily, into a hunk of the corpse. With the patience of a saint (ironic, considering that she was named for a mortal sin), Lust covered the mouthpiece of the phone, and said, "Gluttony, try to chew quietly. I'm on the phone."

As she returned to the phone, Wrath was chuckling. " _Sounds like you have things under control there._ "

"Yes, things are going very well in Liore. We'll be ready. It begins very soon."

" _Good to hear, Lust. However, I'm not just ringing as a social nicety. As good as it is to hear your voice, you have a problem heading your way. The Fullmetal Alchemist and his brother will be coming to Liore soon. They've heard rumours about Father Cornello's miracles, and I'm sure they suspect the Philosopher's Stone behind them._ "

"And with them being so valuable to us, we can't risk Cornello killing them, am I right?"

" _Indeed. Cornello, ultimately, is far more expendable than they are. Should push come to shove, I will send Envy to replace Cornello for a time, at least long enough to stir up a revolt. He's frankly getting bored of late, and wants to cause trouble, and I'd prefer it to be away from Central. So, your instructions are thus: keep an eye on any confrontation between the Elrics and Cornello. If the Elrics are in any serious danger of dying, intervene. Of course, given how they performed here in Central against Isaac, I don't think Cornello will be much of a serious threat, but it pays to be cautious. If necessary, or if Cornello's usefulness has ended, kill him. We'll find another way to stir up trouble in Liore. Of course, it goes without saying that the Elrics can't get their hands on a Philosopher's Stone._ "

Lust sighed. "Okay, I've got it. Babysit the Elric brats, make sure they don't get too badly hurt, and make sure they don't get their hands on the shiny red gem that promises limitless alchemical power." She sighed again. "Do I aid them covertly or overtly?"

" _Covertly, unless it is completely impossible for you to not do so. By the way, there's also another problem I need you to keep an eye out for, just in case it ends up in Liore. There's a mystery man, tanned, blonde-haired, with a distinctive X-shaped scar on his forehead. We're calling him Scar for want of a better term. He's targeting State Alchemists, and it could be a problem if he runs into any of those we need. I think he may be an Ishvalan, but he habitually wears dark glasses, according to eyewitness accounts. I also think he may be using some form of alchemy, but the pure deconstructive type. The bodies he leaves behind have their internal organs scrambled. If you find him, kill him. If you can bring me his head to show that he's out of our hair, all the better._ "

* * *

Two days later, Lust was wondering whether the Elrics did need help. She and Gluttony watched from the shadows as they fought and killed a chimera Cornello summoned, with one of Cornello's followers (Rosé, Lust was pretty sure the Elrics and Cornello called her) looking on in horror. The silly girl thought Cornello could potentially resurrect the dead, and Cornello had strung her along. The Elrics had tried to disillusion her, but she clung onto said belief. At least she did until Cornello transfigured his cane into a Gatling gun. Then, the Elrics beat a hasty retreat.

As Cornello pursued, Lust snorted to herself. The man was a moron. The Elric brothers may be impulsive and immature (especially Edward), but they were intelligent and cunning. If she knew the Elrics, they were going to do something nasty to Cornello's reputation.

The imbecile deserved it, as he was beginning to lose his composure and any semblance of subtlety. Lust claimed that she and Gluttony were heading off to work on some business after her phone call from Wrath, but had merely mingled with the people of Liore, partly to gather any intelligence on those most likely to cause trouble. The Homunculi wanted trouble, true, but one didn't start a small fire without taking precautions to prevent a wildfire. They wanted to be able to direct the blazes.

They also watched from a discreet distance when the Elric brothers arrived. Lust observed them in action. Ironically, Edward, the oldest, was also the most brash and impulsive, with a big case of Little Man Syndrome. The youngest brother, Alphonse, was more mature and quiet, despite the fact that his soul was bound to an imposing suit of armour. It was perversely funny to hear the sound of a young boy's voice speaking from within the suit of armour. It was rather like Pride, the oldest of Father's Homunculi, wearing the body of a small boy.

Lust frowned when she first saw Edward's eyes. They were golden, just like his hair. But that combination was virtually non-existent…save for perhaps one source.

Lust found herself pondering the Elric brothers' heritage. She really should consult the records next time she was in Central. Maybe they had his parentage on file there.

She began chuckling when she heard the sound of Cornello and Edward's confrontation in the man's office. The Fullmetal brat had managed to find a way to broadcast Cornello's confession to the town, with the words echoing even in here. The stunted little idiot probably didn't realise that, by doing so, he was furthering their plans! He was fomenting the very strife they wished to cause, albeit in a different manner to how Cornello would have done so.

Of course, it also proved that Cornello was even more of an idiot than they had realised. He had just messed up their plans for Liore in a bad way through a moment of carelessness. If they were lucky, they might be able to control the conflagration to come to their own advantage…no, to _Father_ 's own advantage.

"Can I eat it, Lust?" Gluttony implored, pointing to the remains of the chimera. "Can I? Please?"

Lust sighed. "Sure, go ahead, Gluttony. Just try not to make too much of a mess."

Eagerly, the dumpy Homunculus fell upon the remains of the beast, and began to devour it. Lust left briefly to keep an eye on the battle between Edward Elric and Cornello, but everything worked out fine enough. But the Philosopher's Stone disintegrated, much to Edward's amusing annoyance. She watched briefly as the Elrics were confronted by a hysterical Rosé, before they shattered her illusions, but told her to get up and keep going with her life. Foolish sentiment…and yet, it sounded something deep within Lust's own breast.

It was about a couple of hours later, after the sun had set, that Cornello limped back through to where Lust and Gluttony were waiting. Lust could already hear the faint stirrings of a mob baying for his blood. Gluttony had finished most of the chimera ages ago, but he was chewing periodically on the remnants of the chimera's foot. "That damned brat," he snarled, looking somewhat worse for wear: his arm was now a metallic parody of itself, the result of some sort of alchemical backlash, Lust knew. "It's all ruined, everything I've worked for!"

"Yes," Lust said, drawing his attention to them. "All that hard work for nothing. I knew we should have just incited a little rebellion."

He looked surprised to see them both. And indignant. " _You_ ," he growled, apparently believing in his delusional state of mind that he could harm them.

 _Really? That's all we get, a single pronoun?_ Lust thought irritably(1).

"I'm hungry, Lust!" Gluttony remarked. "Can I eat the old man? Please? He's big and fat!"

With long-suffering patience, Lust said, "Not this one, Gluttony. We don't want yourself getting indigestion."

Cornello snarled, aiming a pistol at them, "Now you too?! Everyone has mocked me! I won't stand…" He faltered in his tirade, not because of lack of momentum, but because it was somewhat difficult to continue an argument when you have a lance of diamond-coated calcium impaling your skull and destroying your brain. Lust enjoyed winning arguments in such a direct manner. It was so satisfying to shut people up by putting her fingers, able to extend into spears that could penetrate virtually everything, through their skulls and their miserable excuses for brains. Especially when they were as idiotic as this man.

As Cornello died with a look of terminal surprise writ large on his face, Lust sneered. "I'd say this concludes our business." Whipping her fingers from his skull with a contemptuous gesture, shaking the blood and brain matter from them, she watched as he keeled over, Gluttony approaching the corpse. "Just when things were beginning to look promising too," she muttered wearily as she adjusted her gloves. "Now I suppose we'll have to start over from scratch. Father won't be pleased." _At least Wrath said we could kill Cornello if we needed to_ , Lust thought to herself, before saying out loud, "In any case, it's time we started thinking about our next move."

A wet, meaty crunch interrupted her musings, and Lust turned to find that Gluttony had disregarded what she had said. She facepalmed. She loved Gluttony, she really did, but sometimes, he was an idiot.

* * *

Later, Lust managed to track down Rosé. Cornello had a file on her, disgusting pig (he had files on a number of citizens who had caught his eye…especially the pretty ones), and soon, she was at her house.

Lust didn't know why she was doing this. The best she could justify it to herself was that it was a whim, a small act of mercy that meant little in the long run. She rapped on the door of the young woman's apartment, and it was soon answered by Rosé. The girl had clearly been crying. "Yes?" she asked, trying to compose herself. "Can I help you?"

"Actually, it is the other way around, Rosé Thomas," Lust said. "Who I am is not important. What is important is that you leave Liore for the next week or so. After today's events, Liore is going to be consumed by conflict, and the streets will run red with blood. If you do not flee for the moment, the streets may very well run with your own blood. Cornello was a false prophet, one who will bathe this city in flame and blood."

"But…I…"

"I suggest you stop dithering, girl. I have delivered my warning. Whether you're foolish enough not to act on it is no concern of mine," Lust said, a touch callously, but it might be the spur needed for the girl to flee Liore.

Rosé nodded, "I'll do so. Can I warn some of my friends?"

"Only your closest," Lust said. "Only those who will heed such a warning. Do not dally." With that, she turned to leave.

"Wait! What's your name?"

Lust chose the name that, should she ever need to walk amongst humans, she used ('Lust' did tend to raise an eyebrow or two). "Solaris," she said. "We will probably not meet again, Rosé. Goodbye." And with that, she left Rosé to her fate. An uncertain one, but possibly better than if she had remained in Liore…

 **CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Well, first chapter down. Of course, this is really little more than episodes 1 and 3 of** ** _Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood_** **from the point of view of Lust so far, with much of the dialogue taken verbatim from the English dub of those episodes. Keep in mind, though, that after the second chapter, the actual changes to the canon story will begin.**

 **Also note that this will be a hybrid of the manga and** ** _Brotherhood_** **, hence Lust's reaction to Gluttony eating Cornello.**

 **Keep in mind that this is one of my more experimental fanfics, so updates will be sporadic and infrequent at best.**

 **1\. I've used this gag in a few of my fanfics, and it's based on one from the webcomic** ** _The Last Days of FoxHOUND_** **.**


	3. Chapter 2: Blood and Babysitting

**CHAPTER 2:**

 **BLOOD AND BABYSITTING**

It was fun to watch Envy ham it up in the guise of Father Cornello. Her fellow Homunculus had wasted no time in coming here from his own station, after she had contacted Wrath. Envy was not only useful, but fun to be around…though so too was Greed, before he left them.

Actually, Lust began to have qualms, the faintest of disquiet, about what they were doing. As foolish as these imbecilic humans were, and as greedy as Cornello's inner circle were for power and prestige, it was the average family that Lust felt herself having vague pangs of pity for. She knew more than a few of those would be dying.

At least the Rosé girl and a dozen of her friends had left. That had helped soothe Lust's conscience, though the fact that she even had a conscience was profoundly disturbing to the Homunculus.

So too was the revelation about the Elric brothers' heritage, once she got the file Envy brought with him. Apparently, Father (who after learning of Lust's interest in their parentage, had demanded the same files) was astonished to learn, just as Lust had been, that their own father was none other than Van Hohenheim(1). Wrath, who had been there, said that Father had laughed in sheer baffled astonishment that his progenitor/brother had had children. He also found it apt that they would be chief amongst his sacrifices on the Promised Day.

So what did that make the Elrics? Lust had idly considered the genealogical implications, before finally plumping for considering them to be cousins of a sort: Father wasn't an exact copy of Van Hohenheim, given that he was partly made up of material from beyond the Gate, so he'd be a half-brother of sorts.

It was Father's attitude to the Elrics that began to have her realise even more how little he truly valued anyone, save for himself. True, he trusted them with his work, but she began to realise that they were little more than pawns in his game, there to do what _his_ will was, and eminently disposable. And the Elrics were the children of Van Hohenheim, the very man who had given Father life, and life beyond the flask that he had lived in in Xerxes centuries ago. And he viewed them as disposable.

As she watched Envy hamming it up under the guise of Cornello, Lust considered her future. She could either stay with Father, and help with his plans, or flee, and potentially work from the outside, like Greed did.

Or there was something else. Father's plans would be hard to assail from without. But from within? Canker and rot topples even the strongest tree given time, and always eats away from within. Father thought himself clever by externalising and divesting himself of what he considered to be the Seven Deadly Sins, but he made a mistake keeping them around.

Lust realised that she was strong, a simple but stunning revelation. Not as strong as Father. He controlled all the alchemy in this country. But in creating the Homunculi, had Father unwittingly removed a good portion of his own strength? And was he so truly assured that, other than Greed, they were utterly loyal?

What was more, her mind was her own. She was easily one of the most intelligent of the Homunculi. Deviousness, cunning, and strategy were her watchwords. All she needed to do was turn her perspective from the humans, to Father.

Lust made the decision then and there. She would not follow Father's path, nor would she follow Greed's. She would work from the shadows, eroding the very foundations of Father's plans. She didn't know how, for she had only just made the decision to truly rebel. But she would think of something.

Who could she trust? Not Wrath or Pride: the eldest and youngest Homunculi were definitely too loyal to Father. Sloth she might just convince, but she doubted it. Working against Father would be 'too much work'. Greed would leap at a chance to fight Father though, but she had to find the smug little bastard first.

What of her siblings in Liore? Lust knew that Gluttony was intensely loyal to her. Whether that translated to him being more loyal to her than to Father, she didn't know. And what of Envy? Envy enjoyed stirring up chaos, but would he side with Lust in rebelling against Father?

Soon, Cornello's followers (of which there was still a surprisingly large amount, despite the Elrics' actions) and his opponents began rioting, fighting each other in the streets. Parts of Liore began to burn. And for all her newfound pity for many humans, she still sneered at the ones still foolish to follow Cornello, being so readily induced to violence. Even Wrath, for all the connotations of his name, was slow to anger. She glared down at the streets with annoyance. _Fools_ , she thought. But she didn't voice her opinion.

"So, how did you guys like my performance?" asked Envy, still wearing the mien of Father Cornello.

"Hammy, bombastic, and inflammatory," Lust remarked.

"Ah, so the guise was perfect!" Envy said, grinning. Then, he noticed Lust's disquieted look. "What're you looking so glum about, Lust? Frown like that all the time, and you'd get wrinkles! You'll spoil your looks!"

"Says the one imitating Cornello," Lust retorted.

"Eh, true," Envy said. "Might as well slip into something a bit more comfortable for my darling sister." Red lightning, the distinctive trademark of a Philosopher Stone-catalysed alchemic reaction, played around the form of Cornello. Within seconds, Envy changed back to his customary form, of an androgynous, athletic-looking teenager with a short, midriff-baring vest that resembled a sports bra, and a combination of shorts and a skirt. He wore a headband, and had a shock spiky black hair that made him resemble a hedgehog, in Lust's opinion. "There. Nice and cute for you?"

Before Lust could respond, they heard, from behind Envy, "Monster!" They looked to see one of Cornello's underlings, a bearded, dark-haired man, staring at them, and Envy in particular, in horror. "What the hell have you done with Father Cornello?!"

Lust looked at Envy. "Well, what do we do with this one?"

"He was rather rude," Envy remarked, irritated. "Calling me a monster and all."

"Can I eat him?" Gluttony entreated. Envy and Lust looked at each other, shrugged, and then both gave Gluttony a nod.

The poor fool didn't stand a chance.

As Gluttony tore into the remains of Cornello's underling, Envy, leaning against the balcony, remarked, "By the way, I heard Shou Tucker got killed."

Tucker? Lust wracked her brains for the name, before remembering it. Shou Tucker, the Sewing Life Alchemist. A State Alchemist, known for his work on chimeras. Something of a nonentity in the ranks of State Alchemists, as, despite being a State Alchemist, he was more of a researcher with military funding than someone who would be a soldier. He had gained his accreditation through creating a chimera that could talk, though it only expressed a wish to die, and it starved itself to death. The only reason why Lust even thought Tucker of any note at all was that his wife had disappeared at about the same time as he created the chimera. Tucker had apparent proof that his wife had eloped with a lover, but even so, there had been speculation in a few corners that Tucker may have fused his wife with an animal through alchemy.

"So?" Lust said with a shrug. "Big loss. He's a nobody. A minor alchemist."

"That's not the point," Envy said. "Tucker was a nobody, true, but the killer, well, it's that guy again. Scar?"

This got Lust's attention. "Scar? The one Wrath asked me to keep an eye out for?"

"Yeah. And it gets worse. The Elric brats were consulting with Tucker." Envy related a tale of how Tucker, not long after the Elrics asked for his help with their studies in bioalchemy and chimeras, became desperate, as his next annual Assessment Day was due. He had done badly last year, and was in danger of losing his position as a State Alchemist, and with it, his grant money. In desperation, Tucker created a chimera by fusing his own daughter, Nina, with the family dog, Alexander. Edward Elric, upon meeting the new chimera, soon deduced what had happened, and nearly killed Tucker himself in a furious rage, Tucker taunting Edward about his own mishap with Human Transmutation.

Tucker was placed under house arrest with the Nina chimera, but soon, a man murdered Tucker's guards, as well as Tucker himself, along with his daughter. An eyewitness, a passer-by, did see the man, and it seemed that it was their scarred assassin.

East City was home to at last one important State Alchemist: Colonel Roy Mustang. And with the Elric brothers there, it meant that Scar had more targets. In addition, Envy explained that another State Alchemist, the flamboyant Alex Louis Armstrong, was present, having come from Central along with others to take Tucker into custody for trial.

"So, for a little while, Father needs you to track the Fullmetal brat and his brother," Envy said. "Babysit them for a bit, just as a precaution. Gluttony will be around East City to track Scar. Once I'm done here, I'll go back to my post." He looked down at the streets again. "Wow, it's like stirring up an ant's nest, isn't it? A little prod here, a bit of propaganda there, and very soon, blood spills across the streets, soaks into the ground, staining it forever, ready for the Promised Day."

Lust nodded. "Those who do not recognise history are doomed to repeat it," she murmured. "Fools…" she added quietly. "Ironically, the Elrics managed to accelerate our plans. Did Wrath tell you who they're related to?"

"Yeah, they're Van Hohenheim's spawn, of all things!" Envy emitted a short braying bark of laughter. "So, does that make them our brothers, or cousins, or what?"

"I thought about it. Cousins. We are one big screwed-up family, aren't we?"

"Meh, don't think too hard about that. That was Greed's problem…"

* * *

Envy's casual dismissal of Lust's introspection did little to dispel her disquiet. She made it to East City in time to learn that Scar had indeed attacked the Elric brothers, destroying part of Alphonse's armour, and Edward's automail arm. When cornered by a group of soldiers, Scar had initially fought, only to realise he was outnumbered and outgunned. They certainly had confirmation that he was an Ishvalan, and that he used alchemy, albeit using deconstruction of matter rather than attempting to reconstruct it. She saw the files on the deaths of the Tucker family, and grimaced. It was a rather grotesque way to go, having one's insides scrambled and blood bursting from within you.

She learnt all this from one of their contacts with the East City HQ of the Amestrian Military, as well as when the Elrics were leaving. Apparently they were to head back to their hometown of Resembool, so that Edward could get his automail arm replaced. Alex Louis Armstrong would be accompanying him as his official guard.

Which made her his unofficial guard.

After a long journey, they made a stop of several hours in some backwater country village, whose only apparent noteworthy characteristic was to have a stop on the railway. So it was to her astonishment when she heard Armstrong suddenly yell out "DR MARCOH!"

She looked at him, and then to the window, seeing a grizzled older man fleeing from the station. She caught but the barest glimpse of the man's face, but she knew that it was the fugitive doctor, the Crystal Alchemist. And one of their potential Human Sacrifices, albeit one who had gone AWOL from the military.

As Armstrong and the Elrics left the train (Armstrong taking a cargo box containing Alphonse's armour from the cargo area), Lust got up and followed from a discreet distance. She saw them questioning townsfolk, with Armstrong showing a very accurate sketch (the man was very talented, even if he was a narcissist, albeit a benign one), before they were directed to the home of 'Doctor Mauro'. Lust followed them at a distance, and was amused to watch Marcoh holding them at gunpoint from his doorway, with Armstrong stopping the man by dropping Alphonse Elric in his crate onto them.

Once that had been resolved, Lust made her way to the house, carefully broke into another room, and listened carefully to their discussion. Marcoh divulged some of his research on the Philosopher's Stone, before refusing the Elrics, despite Edward's declaration that he had already seen Hell. After they left, though, Lust, who was watching from behind a door, saw him come to a decision, write something down, and hurry after them.

The train wouldn't be leaving for another hour, though, so she had enough time. She sat at Marcoh's desk, dimmed the lights, and waited for Marcoh to come back. When he did, closing the door behind him, she said, quietly, "Two reunions in a single day, Doctor Marcoh. Very lucky, though whether it is good or bad depends on your perspective. I was following the Elric brats…and found you into the bargain."

He whirled, his eyes widening. "You?! I won't let you take me back!"

"There's no need to. Not yet, anyway. Your underlings are doing a fine enough job without you," Lust said casually.

"You're still making those obscene objects?"

"Of course, but you forget that we taught you how to make them in the first place. Leaving Central, taking most of your notes, that didn't slow us down much. Of course, if you still had data lying around…to a normal person, it wouldn't mean much. But an alchemist is another matter. They would start to get suspicions, suspicions you yourself had, or else you may not have fled."

"So I was right," Marcoh said, inching towards a small table. "I hoped it some horrible nightmare I couldn't break free from, but…"

He looked down at the table. Lust smirked at his astonished expression, before pulling a revolver from her cleavage. _His_ revolver. "Don't bother. Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. The easy way is that you tell me where I can find your research notes, and then, I will destroy them. I'll also refrain from telling the military where you are. You'll be left in peace until we actually need you, and you can go on trying and failing to assuage your conscience. The hard way is that my associates come and kill the inhabitants of this town one by one." For emphasis, she lengthened two of her fingers, his neck between them. "And before you try anything, I can regenerate from any mortal wound."

"That boy…once he comes across that data, he will eventually realise what is happening, what you monsters are going to do to this country!"

"I have no doubt. But I can't afford for him to know…yet."

Marcoh frowned at her choice of words. Before she could say anything more, there was a knock on the door. "Dr Mauro? I've brought flowers."

Quietly, withdrawing her fingers, Lust said, "I won't hurt her."

It was a little dark-haired girl who came in. "Dr Mauro? Who is this?" she asked, staring at Lust.

"I'm an old acquaintance," Lust said. "My name is Solaris. What is yours?"

"Kiri," the girl said. "Dr Mauro? My mom said to give these to you, in thanks for what you did with her lump."

"Oh, thank you, Kiri," Marcoh said, quietly.

The girl and Marcoh exchanged pleasantries, before the girl left. Lust remarked, "You must've put a lot of work into the people of this town. They must love you for it, even though you still have hands stained with blood."

Marcoh clearly didn't trust himself to speak.

"Do you want to waste that?" Lust concluded.

Marcoh seemed to come to a decision, before saying, "The National Central Library, First Branch. That's where it is all hidden."

"Good. You can make a good decision if you try," Lust said. "I won't tell where you are. But don't flee, or try to impede their plans again. Otherwise, this town will be exterminated."

Marcoh blinked. "Wait, you said 'their plans'? I thought you were working for them?"

Lust paused as she was about to leave, before she turned, and walked up to Marcoh. Her violet eyes gazed into his own, the slit pupils giving her the air of a predator staring down its prey. "I've come to a realisation," she said quietly, the menace never leaving her voice. "Do you even know _what_ I am, Marcoh?" When he shook his head, she said, "Then allow me to enlighten you."

With that, she carefully tore at her chest, between her breasts, until a familiar, glowing red stone was exposed. Marcoh's eyes widened. "A Philosopher's Stone?" he hissed in horror.

"Yes. Filled to the brim with human souls," she said, reabsorbing the Stone back into her body, and healing the flesh. "I was born with it, born through alchemy. Born fully-formed. I am a Homunculus, Marcoh."

The man sagged, not quite fainting, but certainly not far from it. Lust, in an uncharacteristic move of kindness, helped the man over to a chair. After a moment, he asked, in a small, lost-sounding voice, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I have decided that between the uncertainty of treason, and the certainty of perpetual servitude at best, I intend to try betrayal. My brother once asked me what I wanted from life. I've only just realised, I don't know the answer, and any actual answer will be taken from me if things come to pass," Lust said quietly. As she turned to leave, she said, "The Elrics will learn about the Stone in due time. But not until they are ready. I had better go. I still have to babysit them. Don't mention this to anyone. Oh, and be wary of any Ishvalan with a cross-shaped scar on their forehead. He's targeting State Alchemists…"

And with that, Lust left a very shaken Marcoh, a man who could very well become her first ally in her little rebellion against Father…

 **CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Another chapter down. People will notice that there's significant dialogue changes here. This is partly because of Lust's differing characterisation, thus with triggers for dialogue being different, and partly because I can't be arsed to rewatch the relevant episodes and transcribe the dialogue slavishly. I've also added Kiri, who was present in the manga, but not in** ** _Brotherhood_** **. AFAIK, anyway. You'll also note that I extended the scene with Envy beyond what was shown.**

 **Anyway, Lust has her first potential recruit for her rebellion against Father. I actually nearly considered having her go to East City and save Nina's life (albeit after she got chimera-fied), but I didn't want to screw around with the canon story so early. A shame, really. Poor Nina. :( What Scar did to Shou was too quick for him.**

 **I don't know whether Lust tailed Edward Elric all the way to Resembool, and then left him, or else took another train after the encounter with Marcoh to get back to Central and burn down the library. As it was burned down the day before the Elrics arrive, I'm going with the former. And, unlike canon, Edward is going to meet Lust at Resembool.**

 **Review-answering time! I'm astonished this got three reviews already! Just for one chapter! Anyway,** **oldminnie** **: I stated that in the summary, or at least heavily implied it. This chapter should confirm it for you. Lust is basically rebelling against Father because she realises that she hasn't found a reason to live beyond his service, and actually wants to find one. Her altruism is only just beginning to grow, too: she's fairly unscrupulous.**

 **Ruby Alchemist** **: Thanks. Gluttony is fairly easy to write for, but Lust is an interesting one, especially as she's going to be the central character of this story, or at least the main POV character. So it's trying to keep her believably like her canon self, but also showing where her change in demeanour came from.**

 **1\. When Father meets the Elrics for the first time in canon, he is astonished that they are Van Hoheinheim's children, apparently not even knowing that Hohenheim** ** _had_** **children. It's a surprisingly funny scene, especially as this is** ** _Father_** **we're talking about. However, I would assume that it is in the records, and that Bradley didn't actually look at the file that much, so he didn't know.**


	4. Chapter 3: Resembool

**CHAPTER 3:**

 **RESEMBOOL**

As the train continued on its way to Resembool, Lust found herself falling into introspection again. She didn't want to, but it wasn't as if she had much of a choice. Her mind wandered in strange directions of late, and there was little she could do to stop that.

How did she become like this? When did she become like this? True, Greed's words had nagged at her for some time, ever since he left them. But when was the point where her attitude had truly begun to change, when she began to think the unthinkable?

She half-heard Armstrong and Edward Elric discussing Scar in the now mostly-empty carriage. And that's when she realised when it had started. The Ishvalan War, sometimes called the Ishvalan War of Extermination. Father had exploited the religious differences between the Ishvalans and the rest of Amestris so that, when the time came, he had the right place to create one of the blood-soaked points of the Amestris-wide Transmutation Circle.

Ishval was like a tinder-dry forest. All it needed was a spark to provide a blazing inferno of a wildfire.

And thirteen years ago, Envy provided that spark.

Masquerading as an Amestrian soldier, he shot and killed a child. The Amestrians believed it to be an accident, but many in Ishval believed otherwise, albeit for the wrong reasons. For seven years, riots and civil warfare ran rampant in Ishval and parts of the eastern parts of Amestris. Eventually, Wrath ordered, through his guise as King Bradley, that the Ishvalans be exterminated. And they used State Alchemists as the shock troopers, living weapons.

Not all Ishvalans were wiped out, but there were perhaps only a thousand or so left, if at all, and many of those lived in slums around the eastern part of Amestris, or else scattered across the country. Few lived in Ishval anymore.

Lust loved the violence. It had given her pleasure to see so many people die. And yet…in retrospect, she realised that she had glutted herself on that violence, in much the same way that a man who gorged himself on too many sweet things might end up ill, perhaps even repulsed forever by things he once liked. It now palled for her, where it had once excited. As manifold the ways for a human to die were, they were finite, and often ended in a sickening mess.

It was that, plus Greed's questions, that began to nestle within her heart, eating away, introducing doubt like a canker. And now, she didn't know what excited her anymore, not truly. True, killing someone personally still had some excitement, especially if they were a fool like Cornello. But watching people die _en masse_? That had palled. Killing someone just for the sake of it? That too had palled. She had enjoyed watching Cornello die, and Gluttony tear into that assistant of his who had interrupted her talk with Envy. But mass murder had lost its appeal, as had killing in general.

They arrived at Resembool, and she knew she couldn't linger. She needed to get to the National Central Library, First Branch, and destroy Marcoh's notes. But she wanted to ensure the Elrics were fine before she did so. Plus, she was curious, despite herself. Curious about their hometown, about the sort of place they grew up in, and why Van Hohenheim would have wanted to stay here.

It was pretty much a hick town, as far as she was concerned. Small, quiet, and boring. Supposedly idyllic, but she wouldn't be surprised if incest was a favourite past-time here. She was surprised, though, that it had a small but flourishing business of automail mechanics: Pinako and Winry Rockbell, the latter being a childhood friend to the Elric brothers.

Lust watched from a distance as Edward argued with a diminutive old woman who was even shorter than he was (though she gave some rather snide remarks). Then Winry, a blonde girl in her mid-teens and dressed in coveralls, a bandanna, and what was either a very short tube top, or a sports bra of some kind, threw a wrench at Edward by way of a greeting.

 _Oh great, she's a_ tsundere, Lust thought with a wry smirk.

As they went inside, Lust decided to explore the town a little. She grinned at the outraged shriek of Winry as she discovered the state of Edward's automail, courtesy of Scar.

Eventually, she found a small cemetery. And she soon found the rather plainly-adorned grave marker she was looking for.

 **TRISHA ELRIC**

 **1878-1904**

 _She died so young_ , Lust thought, and felt a strange pang of sadness at that. Twenty-six years old. Remembering what Edward's birth year was, 1899, she realised that Edward had lost his mother at the age of five.

Why did she feel so sad for the fate of a woman she had never met, and would have probably viewed with contempt had she actually met her? Lust wasn't sure why. Was it that she was beginning to consider the ephemeral nature of a human life? Or was it that the woman, by marrying Van Hohenheim and siring the Elric brothers, had effectively given Lust family beyond her Homunculi siblings? Or was it because, in their desperation to bring her back from the grave, the Elrics made themselves pawns in Father's plans?

She stood there, in silence, contemplating this, before it was broken. "Excuse me."

She turned to find none other than Edward himself standing there, a dog with automail legs by his side. The craftsmanship on those legs for the dog was quite good. Edward was holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Oh, sorry," Lust said, before moving aside, allowing Edward to place the flowers on his mother's grave.

For a time, they stood in silence together, before Edward turned to her with a frown. "Do I…know you? Have I seen you somewhere before?"

"You may have seen me once or twice before in Liore, Edward Elric," Lust said. "In fact, you may be pleased to know that Rosé got out, thanks to my warning her before the rioting started."

"Wait, what? But…were you spying on me?"

"In a word, yes. I work under Bradley to keep an eye on certain situations, like Liore. You may call me Solaris," Lust said. "After Scar attacked you, I was reassigned to make sure you made it to Resembool safely. After that, I am to return for my next assignments."

"Oh." He peered at Lust's eyes, apparently noticing that they were violet and slit-pupilled.

"Bio-alchemy," she explained before he asked. "And I would thank you not to reveal my presence to anyone else. Not to Armstrong or to Mustang, or to your brother or the Rockbells, or anyone else."

Edward blinked, before he got the picture. "I see. Top secret part of the Amestrian Military, huh? Okay. I can live with that. And thanks for helping out Rosé. Anyway, what do you mean, rioting?"

"Simply that. Cornello managed to regain control over some of the townsfolk. Dozens are dead, if not hundreds," Lust said. "Don't worry, I killed him personally." Of course, that was _before_ the rioting started, and it was Envy using Cornello's mien stirring up the rabble, but Edward didn't need to know that. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. In this case, anyway.

"So you're a spy and an assassin working for Central?"

"Amongst other things."

"Okay, well, tell me, do you know anything about the Philosopher's Stone?"

 _Oh my, he_ _ **is**_ _bold_ , Lust thought to herself. Out loud, she said, "Yes. Can you keep a secret?"

"Yes," Edward said, leaning forward eagerly.

Lust leaned forward, giving Edward a marvellous view down her cleavage (it was funny to see him turn beet red), and said, quietly, "So can I."

As he scowled, Lust continued, "The Philosopher's Stone is not something you would want to use, Edward Elric. Should you learn what goes into it, you will know this. As I said, do not speak of me to your comrades, friends, or family." She turned and left. "Goodbye."

* * *

It was a long journey back to Central. And she wondered if she had made a mistake in revealing herself to Edward Elric, not to mention saying what she did. Was the boy capable of keeping her presence secret? And she was almost certain they would meet again. She doubted she had succeeded in warning him away from searching out the Philosopher's Stone's secrets, either.

Once she made it back, knowing she had at least two days' head-start on the Elrics, she made her way to the First Branch. She didn't ask for Marcoh's notes deliberately, intending to avoid a potentially-incriminating thought to occur in a staff member's mind. Instead, she had a quick, perfunctory search, hoping she might be able to find it by checking certain areas. No such luck. And with time running out, she would have to take drastic measures. Bradley would forgive the destruction of these records.

Therefore, early the next morning, she threw in a firebomb, enhancing the flames with alchemy, before retreating. She waited until the First Branch was a smoking shell, before she sent a message to Wrath explaining why. She claimed that she had found one of Marcoh's old underlings who had gone rogue, and after finding out that he had told the Elrics where to find information on how the Philosopher's Stone was made, she had little time to search before she had to torch it. She had killed said underling.

Wrath seemed to buy that, though he gently reprimanded her for going to somewhat extreme measures: there were many records in that building, and it meant that they needed to double-check more things than they normally would have to. He ordered her to head back to East City to help Gluttony track down Scar.

A couple of days later, she was there, joining Gluttony on the roof of the military HQ. She chuckled when she heard a discussion (courtesy of a ventilation duct on the roof) between Colonel Roy Mustang and a couple of his subordinates, the Hawkeye woman and the Havoc man. All three were very attractive for military types, though she knew Mustang (despite his womanising reputation) and Hawkeye only had eyes for each other, and Havoc had a smoking habit. The fact that Mustang had ambitions to become the leader of Amestris was amusing, especially as Wrath knew that Mustang had that ambition.

That being said, maybe it could be useful, if pushed in the right direction, Lust mused as she approached Gluttony, who was sitting, dangling his stout little legs over the edge. He turned at her approach. "Oh, hello, Lust!"

"Hello, Gluttony. Have you found Scar yet?"

"Nope, not a bit. He's not close by. How was your trip?"

"Relatively uneventful," Lust said. "Killed one of Marcoh's underlings, met Edward Elric…oh, and I had to go and track down some of Marcoh's old notes on the Philosopher's Stone. It was hidden in the First Branch of the National Central Library. I didn't have enough time to search through all the books, so I torched it. A shame, but we need to make sure that information doesn't fall into the wrong hands, so…" Lust noticed that Gluttony had surged to his feet, sniffing.

"I smell him…" Gluttony gibbered. "I smell an Ishvalan covered in the stench of blood." He looked to Lust. "Can I eat him?"

Lust very nearly said yes, then and there, until a thought occurred to her. "How about we make a game of it, Gluttony? We track him down separately, and whoever bests him in combat, gets to kill him, and do what we like to him. And if you best him…" Lust gave a vicious grin that she didn't quite feel. "You can eat him down to the smallest scrap of flesh."

Gluttony grinned his hungry, wide grin. "And if you win, Lust?"

"Hmm…I don't know," she said. "All I know is, I will take my time."

"Hee hee!" Gluttony said, prancing around excited. "This'll be fun! I'm gonna win, and then, I'm gonna eat him up!" With a whoop of happiness, he leapt off the roof, and began running off.

Lust made to follow him. She would need to in order to find the general area where Scar was. Then, she would play this game, and she would make sure that she won, by fair means or foul.

After all, Scar was already a formidable opponent. But how much more formidable would he be, when his fury and lust for vengeance was directed at her own adversaries?

 **CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Lust has met Edward, and is now planning to try and conscript Scar. And yes, she screwed up a little in revealing herself to Edward and saying too much, as you will find when Edward investigates the Fifth Laboratory. But she'll be able to cover that up.**

 **Anyway, review-answering time!** **Alchemical Guest** **has written a long one. I'll try to reply to some of the points at least.**

 **1\. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. TV Tropes is one of my biggest resources for writing, even outside fanfic. I've addressed the reason for Lust's waning bloodlust in the first part of this chapter because of your pointing this out: she's basically glutted herself on mass violence, and while she still enjoys violence, she's become more of a connoisseur, preferring quality over quantity. Plus, she gets more from killing people who piss her off than people who merely exist. Plus, she also wants to explore other elements of her 'sin', though she doesn't know it yet. This will come into play when she starts dating Havoc.**

 **2\. As much as you make some points, as far as this fic is concerned, poor Nina is dead. That being said, I may yet consider a fic where Nina survives. Always assuming there's not one already…**

 **3\. At the moment, she is only stopping Father's plans for her own reasons. Yes, she will grow in empathy as time goes on, although she is already showing doubt about her own feelings. She hasn't given any thought to what will happen to the Homunculi if they do manage to stop Father, though this will happen later.**

 **4\. Father will try to do to her what happened to Greed. And keep in mind that my intentions are to have at least Pride, Wrath, and Sloth remain loyal (Envy is still up in the air, though I am leaning towards him** ** _eventually_** **joining Lust's side), so Father can still muster plenty of resources without having to get off his wrinkly old arse.**

 **5\. Doubtful. He'd probably view a rebellion as too much work.**

 **Thanks for the review, despite its length!**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	5. Chapter 4: Scar and Other Serial Killers

**CHAPTER 4:**

 **SCAR AND OTHER SERIAL KILLERS…**

While Gluttony had his nose, Lust had her mind. As soon as she realised that Gluttony was heading for the sewers, she headed for another part. And soon, she was rewarded by the sound of collapsing rubble, and a man dashing out from a side tunnel filled with billowing smoke. The very man she had been looking for, in fact. "Another one?!" he snarled.

"You could say that," Lust said. "Now, you have two choices, Scar. You either listen to what I have to say about who was truly responsible for your people's decimation…or I let Gluttony eat you. Better hurry, though. Even if you buried him under rubble, he'll be out before long."

Scar didn't seem willing to listen. But even as he lunged, Lust dodged him, and knocked him out. "Sorry, Gluttony," Lust called out to her compatriot, "but I win. I'm taking him with me to do what I want."

"Aww, but Luuuust!" Gluttony wailed in the distance, echoes bouncing off the walls. "I found him first!"

"But you lost him as well. Sorry, Gluttony, but you don't get this meal. I'll buy you something big to eat, though. Would you like a cake? There's this woman called Gladys who does these big ones(1). Or maybe a cow? A whole steer carcass?"

"A steer! A steer! I want some meat!" Gluttony cheered. "A fresh one from the abattoir, with the guts and blood still in!"

 _Silly little thing_ , Lust reflected. _Put some food in his path, and he forgets everything_. "Okay," she said out loud. "Once I'm done with Scar, you'll get it. See you at our hideout."

"You betcha!"

Lust smirked, before hauling Scar over her shoulder, and bringing him out, in what would have been an amazing feat for such a slender woman, had she been human. She would need to find a place for him to lie low. And she thought she knew such a place…the Ishvalan Ghetto…

* * *

The Ishvalan Ghetto was the unofficial name for a series of slums where refugees from the Ishvalan War. While many other unfortunates and ne'er-do-wells made their homes here, Ishvalans made up the majority, living in grubby tents for the most part. She felt their stares on her back, before an old man with a moustache and beard approached. "Who are you, and why are you here?" he asked.

"My name is irrelevant," Lust said. "I came here to seek sanctuary for this one, as well as a quiet place to tell him things of importance."

The old man raised an eyebrow, before he said, "Come with me. I'll take you home. But don't attempt anything, Miss Irrelevant. Our station may be as low as the dirt, but our fighting spirit, when roused, still soars to the heavens."

Lust thought such a statement ridiculous. True, if she were only human, that would be a threat. But she wasn't completely human. And she was torn between laughing and snarling in anger at the old man calling her 'Miss Irrelevant'. "If I'm Miss Irrelevant, then you are Mr Irreverent."

"Hmm, nice name. I think I will keep it," the old man said with a smile.

Home turned out to be a tent, and she dumped Scar onto a bed roll. Soon afterwards, he woke up. His eyes focused on Lust. "You?!"

"Me," Lust said, extending her fingers to trap Scar's neck. "Now, this is what we're doing, Mr Scar. I am going to talk. And you are going to listen. You very nearly killed a member of my family very recently, and I'm not talking about that lovable oaf in the sewers."

Scar's blood-red eyes narrowed, partly in scrutiny and thought as well as ire. "There are only three State Alchemists who have escaped God's judgement. Are you Mustang's relative?"

"Why would you say that?"

"The dark hair."

"Hmm, good guess, but no. Actually, you'd find it hard to believe, but I'm a cousin of Edward Elric's, of a sort. And out of all the State Alchemists to target, you go after the one who had not only nothing to do with Ishval, but only is a State Alchemist to use the resources of the military." As Scar's mouth opened to protest, Lust said, "All I have to do is twist my fingers, and off comes your head."

"Something of an overreaction, isn't that?" Mr Irreverent asked mildly.

Scar's face twisted into a hateful grimace, but he said, "I'll concede that Edward Elric was willing to bargain for his brother's life. A construct of alchemy he may be, and an affront to God, but I doubt Alphonse Elric asked to be like that, and given the devotion of his brother, I doubt he wanted that too. But all alchemists…"

"Stray from the path of God, etcetera, etcetera. Now, Scar, I will put this to you bluntly, in terms you can understand. I am going to tell you who exactly was responsible for the deaths of your people. Then, after I tell you that, then you can decide whether to go after those who were the tools of those people…or the hands that wielded the tools."

Scar glared up at her, before eventually saying, "Remove your fingers, and I will listen."

After a moment, she did. Scar only sat up and glared at her. "You have my attention, woman. Speak."

Lust looked at Mr Irreverent, who shrugged. "I want to know why too. You seem to suggest that it was deliberately engineered."

"It was. And seeing as I call you Scar, you may call me Lust."

"Lust?" Scar asked.

"My Father had a twisted sense of humour. The one you fought was called Gluttony. I am sure you'll be surprised, perhaps angry, to learn what I am. I am a Homunculus. Born of a Homunculus."

Scar's eyes widened. "A Homunculus?!"

"Yes. I suggest you calm down, Scar. Tell me, what do you know of Xerxes?"

"The country that vanished overnight? I've been to the ruins, but distant history has not been an interest," Scar said.

"What if I were to tell you that the Elric brothers and myself are the children of the only two survivors of what happened that night?" She enjoyed the shocked look on his face, and smirked. "The story of why Ishval fell started with Xerxes. I'm afraid it will be a long story…"

* * *

By the end of it, Scar was pensive, as was Mr Irreverent. The former was saying, thoughtfully, "My brother said there was something wrong about the alchemy of this country. Your…Father, the original Homunculus, he controls it?"

"Indeed," Lust said. "He can even turn it off as easily as you and I would flick a light switch off."

"Such a being of hideous power. Already he would be considered god-like to those without perception," Mr Irreverent said with a shiver. "And yet, he wishes to go further, try and consume God to become God himself?"

"That's one way of looking at it," Lust conceded.

"And to become more 'god-like', he divested himself of those he considered his mortal vices, and turned them into Homunculi, like you."

"Yes. As I said, you've met Gluttony, and you know Wrath as Bradley. Envy, in the guise of an Amestrian soldier, was the one who shot the child and thus sparked off the war. Pride, the oldest and strongest of us, masquerades as Bradley's son, Selim. Greed has gone off elsewhere to make his own way. And Sloth is carving out the Transmutation Circle beneath Amestris."

Scar scowled. "And how do I know you intend to help us? What do you gain by helping us?"

"To your first question, you simply don't know. To the second…I've had an epiphany over the years. Slow-burning, true, but there. If Father succeeds…what then? I don't think even he knows, but it will be the end of my usefulness. At best, I will be a servant with no real will of my own, only his. At worst, I will be disposed of. And I realised that, if I want to find any reason for being, then I would need to work against him. But open revolt is out of the question. Instead, I need to begin undermining his plans, and subtly. To that end, I need people with the right skills, and the right intentions. You have the former, and if you're willing, I can help you find the latter."

"And what do I gain by helping you, other than the continued existence of Amestris and my people?"

"Good question. Frankly, I don't have an answer for that. Revenge against those who decimated your people? A chance to rebuild Ishval when all is said and done? It's up to you. Your people are your concern, not mine. Our interests coincide, but that is all. Our destinies, in all likelihood, lie far apart after we stop Father. Assuming, of course, that you help."

Scar closed his eyes, and seemed to think, lying back down on the bedroll. Eventually, he said, "You will not involve my people in this?"

"Not any more than they are already," Lust said.

"Hmm. But the military is still hunting me. My attack on the Elrics, my execution of Tucker, and my mercy killing of his daughter(2) have brought attention to me."

"I will deal with that. As blasphemous as you may consider it, alchemy does have its uses. I will need some of your blood, and then, I think I can make a convincing fake head for you to leave with Mustang. After that, I will contact you."

"Hmm. Very well. But the first sign of treachery shall be your downfall, Homunculus. Your ilk is already an affront against Ishvala. Should you prove to be false, I shall destroy you."

* * *

A bit of blood, some alchemy, and soon, Lust had left a convincing head for Roy Mustang to discover on the steps of his headquarters. Scar, she reported dead to Wrath (via telephone) and Gluttony (for whom she bought the steer carcass he wanted, which he happily devoured), and she was ordered back to Central. They were going to demolish the Fifth Laboratory, as the experiments there had been moved to other labs, and they needed her and Envy to pick up the pieces.

When they went to the Fifth Laboratory a couple of days later, they soon found trouble. Envy whistled quietly in appreciation as they watched Alphonse Elric fend off attacks from Number 66. Number 66 was the designated number for the soul-binding test subject and guard formerly known as the serial killer, Barry the Chopper. He was once a butcher who got into butchering humans in a big way. His wife was only the first of 23 victims before he was caught. Officially, he was hanged. But he had his soul bound to armour in a not dissimilar manner to Alphonse, although his body was still alive, albeit soulless and mindless, elsewhere.

That still begged the question: what was Alphonse Elric doing here? And where was his brother? Given Alphonse's comments, he was probably inside already, in which case, he was probably facing off against Number 48, aka Slicer. It seemed that the Elrics had stumbled across something that led them here. Or maybe they managed to find another cache where Marcoh had his work. Perhaps she should ask them, if she got an opportunity.

Lust scowled when she heard the serial killer trying to introduce doubts into Alphonse's mind about whether he was the real Alphonse, or just a false soul with false memories. As far as she knew, only Father had such an ability (it was how her personality, and that of her fellow Homunculi, was created), and she knew that Edward Elric had too much annoying morality to consider such a thing.

The last straw was Barry killing a guard who had come upon the fighting, cheerfully declaring, "I KILL, THEREFORE I AM! THAT IS HOW I KNOW I AM REAL! WAHAHAHA!"

"You talk too much, Number 66," Lust said, stepping from the shadows. Barry acted much like she had acted, although she liked to think she had more élan and grace, even at her worst. And seeing what her nature was like in front of her disgusted her. It was like looking into a warped, filthy mirror. "And your usefulness is at an end."

"What the…?" Barry yelped, only for Lust to use her Ultimate Spear to destroy his blood seal, thus killing him. And the world in general was made a much better place.

"Who are you?!" Alphonse demanded.

"I'm Lust, this is Envy, and you are Grateful(3)," Lust said, leaving the now soulless armour of Barry the Chopper to collapse. "Stay out here, we'll go and fetch your brother. Oh, and by the way, Number 66 was full of shit. He likes tormenting his victims' minds as much as he likes cutting them up. You are really Alphonse Elric. Otherwise, we wouldn't be going to all this trouble."

"Umm…thanks, I guess?"

"C'mon, Lust! We'll be late to the party! Slicer's probably singing like a canary," Envy complained. And Lust, with a sigh, followed…

* * *

As they approached the experiment chamber, where the human transmutation took place, they heard voices. It seemed that Edward had defeated Slicer, aka Number 48. Although Slicer, publicly, was thought to be a single serial killer, it was actually a pair of brothers, both bound to the same set of armour, one as the helm, and one in the breastplate.

"…Only now that we are in these hollow bodies did someone even consider us human. Irony abounds!" laughed the deep voice of the head part of Slicer, the older brother. "You wanted to know about the Stone, right?"

"Brother! They'll kill us!" warned the younger Slicer brother.

"Oh, how right he is," Envy sniggered.

"They'll kill us anyway for our failure in stopping this boy. Anyway, we've died once. What can they do that they haven't already done? This will be our farewell gift to you, boy. Unfortunately, I know little about alchemy, and less about the Philosopher's Stone."

Edward Elric then snarled, "Then what is there to talk about?!"

"The ones who made it," the older Slicer brother said.

"And that's our cue," Lust murmured, as they began walking into the experiment chamber.

"I can tell you about those who ordered us to guard this place," the elder Slicer was saying. His helmet was sitting on the floor in a humorous manner, while the partly-shattered remains of the armour housing the younger Slicer brother lay not far from him. Edward Elric's attention was wholly on the helmet. "They are…"

 _THWIP!_ Lust extended her fingers, hitting the blood seal, and bringing him back to her as he began to die. "A bit close there," she murmured as Edward looked up and noticed her, his eyes wide in recognition. "But you shouldn't be discussing things outside your paygrade, Number 48."

"And look at what we have here," Envy said, smirking. "The Fullmetal Runt's poking his nose where it doesn't belong. Well, we can't have that, can we?"

Lust could see Edward staring at her in baffled recognition. And now, she was regretting letting him meet her in Resembool. This, she reflected, had just made things a lot more complicated…

 **CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Lust begins recruiting for her rebellion. And kills Barry. And prevents Al from having his little existential crisis.**

 **Yes, there will be other means by which Mustang and his people find out about the conspiracy now that Barry the Chopper is dead.**

 **Anyway, updates, sadly, will still be fairly slow.**

 **Review-answering time!** **37** **: Lust will survive. She's a main POV character.**

 **Riddick Writer** **: Thanks. And the story will start diverging from canon before long. More characters will survive, particularly the 'goodies'. I'm strongly considering saving Martel, for example.**

 **1\. An oblique reference to GLaDOS and the Cake-related memes from** ** _Portal_** **.**

 **2\. I like to think that in some of his attacks, Scar did some research on his victims, so he probably guessed that the chimera Shou was with was his daughter.**

 **3\. A reference to a similar line from the** ** _Doctor Who_** **novel (and Sherlock Holmes crossover)** ** _All-Consuming Fire_** **. Upon saving Dr John Watson from being shot by the villain (I'm not making this up), Ace says to him "I'm Ace. And you're grateful." It's an excellent novel that's being adapted by Big Finish.**


	6. Chapter 5: Conspiracy Theory

**CHAPTER 5:**

 **CONSPIRACY THEORY**

Thankfully, it seemed that Edward had remembered her cover story, that she was a secret agent working for Bradley. He didn't say anything stupid like 'What are you doing here, Solaris?', which was good. He seemed about to say something along those lines, before settling instead for horror at what she had just done. Which was surprising, given that Slicer had been about to make him his next victim. Then again, Edward had never made any secret of his intentions: he avoided killing, and intended to do so for as long as he could.

"You really are a trouble magnet, Edward Elric," she said, in a tone suited to chiding a small child. Then, with a twist of her fingers, she ripped the helmet containing the soul of one of the Slicer brothers in two, destroying the blood seal completely, and sending his soul into oblivion.

The other Slicer brother howled in dismay, and Edward stared in horror. Envy took up Slicer's sword, and began stabbing the blood seal of the surviving brother repeatedly. "Dammit, you nearly messed up the plan, Number 48. You nearly killed one of our important sacrifices. You know how much trouble you nearly put us to? Huh?"

As the remaining Slicer brother died, Lust sighed. "Envy, he's gotten the point. Repeatedly. We're on the clock, so let's finish up." She then pointed at Edward. "You, come with us. Now."

Edward was still in shock, blood running down his face, and his eyes filled with horror. Oh, right. He was empathising with the defeated Slicer brothers before they intervened. Troublesome. And Envy was swaggering towards Edward. Lust approached, and Edward seemed to gather himself. "What plan is this? What the hell do you mean, 'sacrifices'?" he demanded, glaring at the two of them. "And what the hell is your game?" he snarled, looking at Lust.

"What's the little pipsqueak talking about?" Envy asked, turning his back on Edward.

"We met in Resembool briefly. Unfortunately, despite my warning, it seems that he persisted in searching for the Philosopher's Stone. Tell me, Fullmetal Alchemist, are you truly willing to use one, knowing where it comes from?"

"I think a better question is, are you?" he snarled. And the question stung at her. As a Homunculus, she was dependent on a Philosopher's Stone to sustain her very existence. The souls within her had been harvested from Xerxes during Father's initial apotheosis.

She was taken aback. And she realised why. While consuming another lifeform was vital to life in general (one subset emphasised learning the holistic nature of alchemy, 'All is One and One is All', and realising how much the world supplied one with food was a vital part of that), she hadn't actually thought about the lives that she was burning off, just to exist. People who had once lives and personalities and dreams and memories all of their own.

In the space of an instant, Lust's emotions went from self-loathing, to anger at Edward, before calming herself down. The self-loathing, however, remained, a tickle at her heart. She realised it had been there for a long time.

"Ooh, lookit the runt, full of piss and vinegar," Envy sneered.

"Don't call me a runt," Edward hissed, panting.

Lust sighed at their antics. "Envy, _please_ stop aggravating him. We're on the clock, remember?"

"Aw, but it's so fun taunting little pipsqueaks," Envy said, leaning his face in towards Edward, who kicked out. Envy darted back. "Whoa there, no need to get angry!"

"You…" Edward clapped his hands together, preparing to use alchemy. "This is a fight you started, so bring it on!"

And then, suddenly, a noise emanated from Edward's automail arm, causing it to spasm, and then go limp. It was broken.

Lust raised an eyebrow. "Technical difficulties," she opined(1).

"Works for me!" Envy cheered, before driving his knee viciously into Edward's stomach. As the young alchemist collapsed, Envy said, "Lucky your arm broke, moron, or else I would have had to break some other bones to get you to come hither."

"Now, listen up, Edward Elric," Lust said, moving over to him, and helping Envy pick him up. "You survived because we need you. So try not to do anything so egregiously stupid in future."

* * *

As the building began to explode, they found Alphonse Elric being attended to by a pair of soldiers. Sergeant Denny Brosh and Second Lieutenant Maria Ross, if Lust remembered correctly. Associated with Major Armstrong. "Got a delivery for you," Envy called out cheerfully. "He's lost quite a bit of blood, but he's in no danger of dying yet. Get him to a hospital."

"And remember what I said, Alphonse," Lust said, before the two Homunculi fled.

* * *

It was a couple of days later that Wrath stated he was going to visit the Elric brothers, and find out what they had learned. Lust, upon learning it, asked to come with him.

"And why is that?" Wrath asked.

"In Resembool, I presented myself as a member of your secret service," Lust explained patiently. "As Solaris, I can say that I am undercover in this conspiracy story you're talking about. He's seen me in two different roles, so it's best that we work on it like this so that he doesn't get suspicious."

"Hmm, fair enough," Wrath conceded. "It's actually not a bad plan. It means he is further assured that I have things under control, more or less. What was the story you were going to concoct, just so we get our stories straight?"

"I am in this underground group…let's call it Saligia, after the old acronym for the Mortal Sins. Our marking is the Ouroboros Tattoo. I am in this group to find out who is funding it, as it may be elements of your commanders looking to overthrow you. We can warn them that powerful people are behind Saligia, and to investigate further may be dangerous."

"Hmm, not bad. Do you think they will buy it?"

"You're Fuhrer King Bradley, to them anyway. They'd probably buy anything."

Wrath chuckled. "True enough. I'll go and pick up a melon on the way for Edward. A bit of a paternal attitude of concern wouldn't go astray…"

* * *

As it turned out, they found Ross and Brosh guarding the door. They were wary of Lust, until Bradley said, "She's with me."

They then entered. The Elric brothers were present, along with the imposing figure of Major Armstrong, and the glasses-wearing and frequently unshaven Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes. Of course, they all started gaping upon seeing Wrath (or Bradley as they knew him), and they were even more astonished to find Lust accompanying them.

"Fuhrer Bradley!" Armstrong said, snapping off a salute that was matched by Hughes. "I…I was unaware that you'd be…"

"Calm down, man. Officially, I am here unofficially. I came to bring the Fullmetal Alchemist some fruit," he said, proffering the basket with the melon. "And to clear up a few issues that have arisen."

"Uh, thank you sir," Elric said, nervously, accepting the basket.

"I know, Armstrong, that you have been investigating some of the senior staff," Bradley said. "And you, Edward Elric, have been investigating the Philosopher's Stone…and have probably found out more than you should."

"Sir…" Alphonse asked, timorously. "What's this woman doing here?"

"Ah, I forgot to introduce you. This is Solaris, one of my best agents. In the organisation she has infiltrated, she is known by the cognomen 'Lust'. What happened to you at the Fifth Laboratory was unfortunate. While you were poking your nose into some rather dark secrets, and nearly jeopardised an undercover operation, your actions may prove to have some benefit, stirring the ant's nest, so to speak. She told me that she met you in Resembool, and then in the Fifth Laboratory."

"For what it's worth," Lust said, with sincere gratitude even if she was lying as to exactly why, "thanks for trying not to blow my cover, Edward. I was afraid that you'd nearly do so."

"Umm, thanks. And thanks for reassuring Al. We had a discussion when we came back about what Barry the Chopper claimed," Edward admitted. "Without you, I think it might've been a full-blown argument."

Lust actually felt glad at this. She was beginning to think of them more and more as family, more so than her fellow Homunculi. She didn't understand why, but rolled with it. "That's fine. The organisation I have infiltrated call themselves Saligia, after an old acronym for the Seven Deadly Sins. The elite members of this organisation are named for those sins, and branded with the Ouroboros Tattoo, as well as enhanced with bio-alchemy. You saw my enhancements in action on that night. I told the truth at Resembool, that I was sent by Bradley to keep an eye on you. What I didn't say was that Saligia also wants you kept alive, for a mad scheme that I cannot divulge. Matters of security, you must understand."

"And Slicer? Did you have to kill them?"

"Slicer were unrepentant serial killers," Lust said. "They had come close to murdering you, and their usefulness had ended. The same goes for Barry the Chopper, who was, if anything, worse. The world is well-rid of them. You're also lucky your automail arm failed when it did. Envy wasn't joking when he said he would have beaten you up more."

"In any case," Wrath said, picking up a list of names Armstrong and Hughes had brought along, "we have been working on convergent courses. These names are of researchers working at the Fifth Laboratory, correct? You may not know this, but they've all disappeared. Even Solaris cannot confirm how many have been murdered, and others merely transferred. Saligia's roots are buried in the soil of this country very deeply, like a tenacious weed. I must ask that you cease your lines of inquiry forthwith, while my agents pursue the matter further. You are to speak to nobody of this, as the enemy has ears everywhere, and even those you may trust may let something slip." After a moment, Wrath smiled. "That being said, when the time comes to take action against these insurgents, I expect you to stand alongside me as we drag them kicking and screaming from the darkness of their plotting into the light of day and expose their crimes for all the world to see."

The four of them seemed slightly dubious, but ready to obey. As he made to leave, Edward said, "Wait, Solaris?" When Lust faced him, he said, "I know I didn't want Slicer dead…but thanks for saving my ass. And thanks for reassuring Al. He means the world to me."

"That's fine. Oh, actually, before I go, one other thing. There's a member of Saligia who went rogue some years before," Lust said. "He's a danger to the group's plans, but he's also plotting his own insurgency against Fuhrer Bradley. He goes by the name of 'Greed'." She took a notepad Edward had scrawled some rather unflattering pictures of herself and Envy (the one of Envy was amusing, though), went to a new page, and sketched an image from memory of Greed, both in his unarmoured and armoured forms. "He'll have an Ouroboros Tattoo on his left hand. If you ever encounter him, be very careful. He can transmute the carbon in his body into graphene and diamond as a form of armour. If you encounter him, try not to engage him. Instead, notify us through a secure channel. We need to capture him for interrogation."

"That's a rather impressive sketch," Armstrong muttered. "Almost on a par with the family sketching abilities."

"Passed on for generations?" Lust asked wryly.

"I didn't say that," Armstrong said. Was it just her, or did he sound slightly offended?

"Well, I'll certainly keep an eye out for him," Hughes remarked. "Something about him looks vaguely familiar."

"Well, if there are no further questions, we'll be off," Wrath said. As they made to leave, the door opened to reveal a teenaged girl with blonde hair. Lust had seen her from a distance at Resembool. Winry Rockbell, albeit dressed in more suitable clothing.

"Oh, Fuhrer Bradley," she said, surprised, and giving a brief, but respectful bow. "And…?"

"Solaris," Lust said. "Don't mind us, we were just going."

"Oh, okay." As they moved past, they heard Winry talk to the Elrics over some train tickets she had bought.

* * *

"Nicely handled," Wrath said. "Do you think we have dissuaded them?"

"Not entirely," Lust admitted as they walked down the corridors of the hospital. "The Elrics might investigate further, but for now, they'll stay out of it. Armstrong probably wouldn't continue either. We might have to keep an eye on Hughes, though." Lust rubbed her chin. "He's got a keen mind, that one."

"Whenever he isn't calling up people and boasting about his cute little daughter, yes. By the way, nice move, asking them to keep an eye out for Greed. Do you think they would believe him over us?"

"Hopefully, he won't have a chance," Lust said. "We told them not to engage, to contact us instead. Would you rather Greed encounter them, and either kill them, or tell them things they shouldn't know?"

"Good point." He smiled. "A good thing, my older sister, that you can advise me with your experience."

 _I'm not your sister_ , Lust thought to herself. The self-loathing that had been nagging away at her since the Fifth Laboratory had brought the nature of herself, and her siblings, into sharp relief. The Homunculi were abominations, fuelled by forsaken souls stolen by Father's actions in Xerxes. They had no right to exist, nor to be. They were supposedly superhuman, but they were subhuman metaphysical cannibals subsisting on souls.

This hadn't bothered her before. So why did it bother her now? Was she actually developing a conscience of sorts? She knew she was being bothered by death _en masse_ now, but this was perturbing.

Still, it served only to strengthen her resolve. Regardless of whether her rebellion was right or not morally, she knew that even so much as regretting what happened in Xerxes would stand her apart from Father. Now she would have to continue walking down her path of revolt, even if it meant her demise…

 **CHAPTER 5 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Lust covers her callipygian rear, and gets some character into the bargain.**

 **Now, it'll be some time before the next chapter. Leaving aside my tending to burn myself out doing fanfic, I'm also trying to think of how I should handle Hughes. I'm leaning towards letting him live, but I need to figure out the right way to do it.**

 **Review-answering time!** **37** **: You got some of him (albeit without the ham) in previous chapters as well as this one.**

 **Alchemical Guest** **: I have no idea, but that's a good idea that I might very well try out in a later chapter. I think, though, it would be limited to digits than any other bone.**

 **1\. I love the deadpan way Laura Bailey delivers this line, so I kept it in.**


	7. Chapter 6: Revelations

**CHAPTER 6:**

 **REVELATIONS**

Lust decided to keep an eye on Hughes. She couldn't help but shake the feeling that the man's insight would lead him down dangerous roads. He seemed to value her presence, though. In fact, she noted that he barely looked at her figure, whereas to many men, she was rather distracting. She guessed it was his loyalty to his wife and daughter that prevented him from being distracted by her figure. She found herself thinking that highly admirable.

Was that what love was, when shorn away of lust? A loyalty to the bitter end between people? There were many kinds of love, Lust knew, if only because she could observe it from the outside. The love between lovers, the love between child and parent, or between siblings, the love between friends, and so on. She had seen so-called love break down many times, but she could not deny love's existence. And it seemed that Hughes' love for his family reaffirmed for Lust what love truly was. She may never experience it for herself, but she could at least see how it truly existed.

"There's something about this that's been bothering me," Hughes said as he examined a map of Amestris in the library that evening, running a hand through his hair. "The riots in Liore, the Ishvalan Civil War, though they should really call it the Ishvalan War of Extermination," he said with disgust, "and what Edward described in the Fifth Laboratory. Something's been nagging at me."

"You've a keen mind, Lieutenant Colonel," Lust observed honestly. "But the Fuhrer did order that you cease this line of inquiry." And it would be a particularly lethal line of inquiry if he wasn't careful.

"I'll hand over the findings to you to hand to him," Hughes said. "But something's not right, and I need to…" His eyes widened in revelation, and then Lust knew that she had to think quickly. Because she was almost certain that he had figured it out.

"Oh, my God," Hughes breathed, his eyes wide behind his glasses. He began tapping key points on the map of Amestris, before running a hand through his hair. "This is monstrous, horrific! McDougal wasn't just talking crap when he was going on about the _shape_ of this country(1)!"

"What is it?" Lust asked, knowing full very well what he meant.

"Amestris…" he breathed. "With the exception of one point(2), there are historical riots and wars that correspond to that transmutation circle that…" His eyes flickered up, and narrowed. "You knew." It was statement and accusation, all in two syllables. He could see it in her eyes.

"Yes. And if you value your life, and those of your wife and child, you will be quiet." Lust looked down at the map. "Lucky you didn't mark it. One more thing to deal with, otherwise."

"But…how can I keep quiet about…?"

"Hughes. Come with me, and I will explain it." Because if she played her cards right, she had the latest recruit to her own private conspiracy against Father…

* * *

It was on the roof that Lust felt safe explaining it. "I told a lie earlier today. While it is true that I work with Bradley, I am not an undercover operative within Saligia. I have been part of it for years. Centuries, even."

"Centuries?" Hughes asked. "But you're…"

"Yes, I look good for my age, don't I?" Her wry smirk was quickly replaced by a more solemn look. "You noticed the conflicts formed a Human Transmutation Circle. Over centuries, too. This was no accident."

With that, she told him everything, watching as he quietly absorbed the information with mounting horror. Eventually, he asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I need allies. I intend to topple Father's plans from within, but I need people to help, people well-placed both within and without the State Military. You are far from my first recruit: Dr Marcoh was. And, well, I think I've managed to persuade Scar of all people. Yes, he is a violent fanatic, but once he learned of who truly triggered the war that wiped out his people, he is reconsidering his priorities. The head was an alchemy construct I made with his blood to stop the military from pursuing him. In time, I will bring the Elrics, Mustang, and Armstrong to my cause."

Hughes' eyes narrowed beneath his glasses. "And why should I believe you? You've admitted you're one of these Homunculi…that Bradley and his son are too…what do you want?"

Lust shook her head. "What do I want? I don't know for certain. All I do know is that should Father succeed, I won't ever get to find out. And between the doubt of an uncertain future, and the certainty of perpetual servitude at best, well, I would choose doubt."

Hughes looked at her for a moment, before laughing softly. "Doubt. That's pretty damned human of you, Lust. Okay, I'll trust you for now. And I'll keep quiet about this. I mean, who'd believe me anyway?"

"You believed me," Lust said.

"Only because it makes sense with what I've seen." The glasses-wearing officer suddenly pursed his lips in thought. "Actually, now that I come to think about it, there may just be a way to counteract Father's control over alchemy."

Lust looked at him sharply. This was certainly news to her. "What is that?"

"There were reports that what McDougal used wasn't actually alchemy, but Xingese Alkahestry. It's a not-dissimilar art, but draws upon a different form of energy. It might be worth looking into."

"Hmm. I may just do that. Thank you for your silence," Lust said. It was certainly very useful information. Especially if Alkahestry could bypass Father's control over Amestrian alchemy.

Hughes chuckled bitterly. "Lust, if you really want to stop this, then I'm more than willing to do this. Ishval left a sour taste in all our mouths. Plus, there are few things I won't do to keep my wife and daughter safe."

* * *

Some days later, Lust was ordered by Bradley to accompany him to South Headquarters. Given that the 'secret' seemed to be out that she was Bradley's agent, Lust could move more openly. She would be escorting Bradley along with that oaf Armstrong. Then again, loud and narcissistic he may be, but he was also entertaining at least.

Bradley had another reason in mind for heading that way, other than a surprise inspection. After doing some investigation of the Elrics, he heard rumours that their teacher, a woman who lived in Dublith (which was actually half-way along the railway line, but he needed, officially, to head to Southern Headquarters in South City first), may also be capable of alchemy without a transmutation circle. So, in other words, this teacher was yet another potential Human Sacrifice for use during the Promised Day.

Lust mentally marked this teacher down as someone who may need to be recruited into her conspiracy. She needed to begin recruiting people in earnest now as it began to approach. She had, in her corner, Marcoh, Scar, and Hughes. The Elrics, along with Mustang and his team, were on the to-get list as well.

Unfortunately, a ridiculous number of higher-ups in the State Military were in on Father's scheme, although they had been fooled into believing that they would be granted immortality.

Mentally, she drew up a list of people who might be able to help against Father. Leaving aside the Elrics, along with Mustang and his subordinates, there was Greed. He'd need little persuasion to go up against Father, but he didn't know as many of the details of Father's plans. What about Envy? She would have to think about it, as her brother had a thirst for chaos that surpassed even her own bloodlust, even at its height. She would need to sell it to him in the right way.

A name came to her when she considered the Ishvalan Civil War. A loose cannon of a State Alchemist called Solf J Kimblee. The Crimson Lotus Alchemist, whose specialty was creating explosions with his alchemy. The problem was, figuring out the right incentive to bring Kimblee to her side. He wasn't just a mad bomber: the man was both highly intelligent and a philosopher who subscribed to his own form of amorality. Of course, every man had a price. It just necessarily wasn't in coin or in appeals to morality.

She got into a discussion with Armstrong, who was quite a pleasant conversationalist when he was calm (he was still pleasant when excited, but he had a tendency to be loud and shirtless, and while his muscles were admirable, there was such a thing as too much of a good thing). The man's morality certainly made him a decent candidate. She remembered that he had a major breakdown during the Ishvalan War, having found his orders to kill the Ishvalan civilians to be too much, and was thus sent out of the field in disgrace. Nonetheless, this was a man who was loyal to his country, and whose main problem was the conflict between morality and loyalty.

Wrath seemed to consider Armstrong a useful soldier, but too hamstrung by morality. On a few occasions, he had remarked that Armstrong's older sister, Major General Olivier Mira Armstrong, was a better example of how a soldier should be. She was another potential recruit for Lust, if only because she commanded one of the largest garrisons in Amestris. More importantly, Briggs was also the last area not to have a major crest of blood formed.

At one of the stations en route, reports came in that the Elrics had just caused some havoc in Rush Valley, due to a thief stealing Edward's State Alchemist watch. They had retrieved the watch and repaired the damage, but apparently Winry Rockbell was staying there to learn under a more experienced automail mechanic. And Lust was willing to bet her Philosopher's Stone that Wrath was going to use Winry as leverage should the Elric brothers work against them. So she may need to find a way of keeping Winry safe too.

Before long, they arrived at Southern Headquarters, and soon upon arriving, they found, to their surprise, Edward Elric, doing his annual assessment. Wrath, of course, acted as if it was one whole big coincidence, and managed to wheedle the existence of Edward's teacher out of him (for appearances' sake), all while signing off on Edward's assessment paperwork. Soon after Edward left, they followed on the same train to Dublith.

Edward was surprised to see that they had followed him, and they soon made their way to the butcher's shop where Edward's teacher worked. While Bradley and Armstrong tried to ask about Izumi (the latter getting into a muscle-flexing contest with the burly Sig Curtis), Lust looked to Edward. "Where's your brother, anyway?" she asked.

"I dunno. Maybe he and Teacher have gone somewhere." He frowned. "I seem to be running into you a lot lately, Solaris."

"There's nothing going on at Saligia for the moment, so Bradley basically had me on as his bodyguard for the moment, along with Armstrong. As far as Saligia is concerned, I'm their agent in Bradley's camp." She folded her arm under her bust as she leaned against a wall, noticing that Edward blushed and looked away at that. She snickered a little, before saying, "Being a spy is hard work. You play a role for so long, you forget who you really are sometimes." She looked at her hands. "Sometimes, I don't know what is truly me, and what is truly the mask. Even as a State Alchemist, you've been very independent, and outspoken against killing. I don't have that luxury."

"Don't you have any friends? Family?"

Lust chuckled bitterly. "I don't have the luxury of friends. And my family is a dysfunctional bunch. You're lucky to have as strong a bond of brotherhood as you do with your brother, or a friendship with that Rockbell girl. The family member I am nearest to, well, he's rather simple, bless him. I think I have some other relations, but they don't know that I'm related, and I don't want to tell them, in case they react badly."

Edward scoffed. "Well, if I ever met my father again, I'd sock him one."

Lust laughed at the thought of Van Hohenheim being knocked out by an irate Edward Elric. However, such cheery thoughts were banished when an older, but very attractive woman, her dark hair framing a stern face, came up. "Edward, your brother, he's been kidnapped. He's being held at the Devil's Nest, and they want you to come…" She stopped, and stared at Lust. "You…you have the same tattoo as that dark-haired guy…"

Lust's eyes widened, and so too did the single exposed eye of Wrath. However, she said, "I'm Solaris, with the Fuhrer's personal secret agents. You saw someone with the same tattoo?"

She nodded. "Yes, called himself Greed. Listen, I'm their teacher, and…"

"Izumi Curtis? Well, the Fuhrer wants to have a talk with you, but if Alphonse is in danger, I'll go and help."

"I can do this alone!" Edward snapped.

Lust turned to Wrath, and said, "Give me an hour to deal with them. Then, bring the cavalry, sir!"

Wrath nodded. "You have an hour. Bring Greed to me alive, and protect the Elrics. Use your discretion for the rest." By which he meant, kill everyone else allied with Greed.

"I'm coming with you, like it or not," Lust said to Edward as they ran off. "I know Greed. He's dangerous."

"Yeah, you told me. He can convert the carbon within his body into a sort of body armour, can't he?"

Lust nodded. "The Ultimate Shield. What you saw me use against Slicer was the Ultimate Spear, where I coat my fingers in diamond, and extend them into lances. Of course, it's called Ultimate Shield, but in truth, it has a weakness."

"I actually thought about it. Carbon has a lot of different forms…including graphite."

Lust chuckled softly. "Nice. Get close enough to convert the Ultimate Shield into graphite…pencil lead. One of the softest materials there is. Keep in mind, Edward, that this may not be a negotiation. You're one of our top alchemists, and even if your brother isn't a State Alchemist, if he dies, Saligia will have my hide. Greed needs to be captured alive. The others, though…"

"I'm not going to kill for you, or for Bradley. I'll subdue them if I have to, but you do your own dirty work."

"Fine. I'm used to it…"

* * *

Of course, once they reached the Devil's Nest, a rather disreputable bar, and were quickly led into a backroom where Greed and his minions were waiting, things went wrong very quickly.

The first thing was that Lust realised that most of Greed's minions were Chimeras, of the sort the State Military created by fusing animals with humans. That's why she capitalised the name. And by the looks of it, they were very loyal to Greed.

The second was that Greed, once he got over his surprise of Lust being there, got a nasty little grin on his face. "Well, well, well," Greed purred. "What a nice little family reunion this is. Long time, no see, big sis."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Greed," Lust said. And then, Alphonse, who was sitting in a corner, said something that meant the whole situation had gone to shit.

"Brother, this man, he's a Homunculus! And he said Solaris, well, Lust, that she was a Homunculus too! And his sister!"

Edward turned to stare at Solaris, his golden eyes wide with both horror and betrayal. Lust decided to take charge with another counter-revelation. One-upmanship, in order to regain the advantage.

"You know, Greed, this _is_ a family reunion. But you've made a mistake in thinking we're the only members here. I mean, their father _is_ Van Hohenheim, after all."

"So what about it?" Edward demanded angrily, even as Greed's expression showed the bloom of revelation.

"Van Hohenheim is our uncle. For want of a better term, Edward Elric," Lust said, though she turned her gaze to Greed, and got more than a little satisfaction from his eyes widening in utter surprise, "we are cousins. I mean, I _did_ tell you I had family that might react badly to knowing this."

Greed, for once at a loss for words, gaped at her, his eyes flickering between Edward and herself in shock. Edward himself gaped, and had Alphonse's face been capable of any expression, she was sure that he would be too. But even as she took some pleasure in silencing them, she knew now that she would have to work harder than ever to make sure that she could salvage something from this situation.

Otherwise, she had just fucked up badly…

 **CHAPTER 6 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Lust manages to gain at least one new ally in Hughes, but will her appearance at the confrontation with Greed cause trouble for her? Hmm, who knows?**

 **This was a hard chapter to write for a couple of reasons. One, I needed to figure out what to do with Hughes (and how to spare him). Thankfully, that turned out rather simple in the end. Two, once I decided part of this chapter needed to involve Greed at Dublith, I needed to figure out how it would come about. And hopefully, I can figure out a way to get the Elrics and Lust out of it with their hides intact. I also intend to make sure Martel (at the very least) survives the raid on the Devil's Nest.**

 **Anyway, review-answering time!** **MrGreen37** **: I know this (about Envy's line), but I took liberties with the dialogue, basically mixing and mashing stuff from the manga and Brotherhood. I did take the dialogue from the first chapter verbatim from the first episode, and I've been cherry-picking lines ever since, but I'm not being slavish to the dialogue from either source. The story is closer to the manga, but I've been taking scenes from Brotherhood here and there.**

 **Guest of 111** **: Are the other fanfics really that bad? Then again, most of the** ** _Fullmetal Alchemist_** **fics I've read are crossovers with Harry Potter. Hell, I've even started writing one recently,** ** _Truth and Consequences_** **. It's a lot more humorous than** ** _Saligia_** **(in the third chapter, I have Luna Lovegood and Lust snogging, believe it or not), but I'd like to think it's a half-decent fic. The fourth chapter to that story will be released at the same time as this one. Anyway, thanks for the praise, and I'm glad that you think so highly of it.**

 **1\. In some translations of the dialogue (but sadly, not the English dub of** ** _Brotherhood_** **), McDougal yells at the Elrics that they need to understand 'the shape of the country', a foreshadowing of the Nationwide Transmutation Circle. I've chosen to reinstate it here.**

 **2\. Briggs, in other words, though I dunno whether there are any other hotspots yet to be filled.**


	8. Chapter 7: A Dysfunctional Family

**CHAPTER 7:**

 **A DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY**

Eventually, Lust said, "Bradley is coming soon with soldiers. He is one of us, did you know?" It was a risk admitting this in front of the Elrics, but needs must when the devil rides out, so they say.

"So Father found someone to be a vessel for his Wrath, eh?" Greed chuckled. "Well, sis, as much as I want this to be a heartwarming reunion, I've got business to attend to with the Elrics. I want to learn how to bind a soul to armour. So I can be immortal, you understand."

"It's a fool's errand," Lust said. "You'll have a weak point, the blood seal. I know because we created more like Alphonse to guard the laboratories where Philosopher's Stones were manufactured. How do you think Edward ended up with his automail limbs?"

Greed crossed his arms. "Aw, and I didn't think you cared, sis. So, it seems that you have your doubts about Father after all. So, whatcha gonna do about it?"

"If you've got some escape route for you and your people, I suggest you use it now. And to make it look good, you're going to fight me," Lust said. "You're going to have to force me to regenerate from a mortal wound, or Wrath will never buy it."

Greed looked at her, before saying, "Roa, Martel, Dolcetto, Bido…you know where to go. Get who you can and scram! I'll meet up with you later! Oh, and Roa? Knock out the Elrics before you go. Plausible deniability."

"Hey, what do you…?!" Edward began, before the burly Chimera knocked him out. After a blonde-haired Chimera wormed her way out of Alphonse, Roa knocked him on the head, and for good measure, pulled down some crates on top of him. His helmet was left on the floor, while his armour was left open. Lust looked at the blood seal briefly, before getting into her fighting stance.

As the Chimeras fled, Greed grinned. "I've always wanted to feel your Ultimate Spear inside me, sis(1)," he purred.

"Spare me the incestuous innuendo, Greed. I'm not going to make it easy for you."

"That's good," Greed said, transforming, allowing the Ultimate Shield to cover his body. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Lust was actually at something of a disadvantage in this room, against a fellow Homunculus at least. Greed was both fast and strong, but Lust could channel enough alchemic energy into her extended fingertips to change the diamond and graphene of the Ultimate Shield into graphite, allowing her to injure him. They danced around each other in the room for a few minutes, before Greed got in a lucky lunge with his hands, turned into taloned paws. Lust collapsed, blood gushing from a wound to her neck.

"Hey, sis, before I bug out on you, where do you wanna hook up, eh?"

Lust, on the verge of dying, at least until the Philosopher's Stone within her activated, sagged near Alphonse, her blood dripping into his armour. "East City…Ishvalan Slums…find Ishvalan with X-shaped scar and tattooed arm…tell him Lust sent you…" And then, she blacked out.

* * *

She was being shaken awake by Edward Elric. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes later, as the blood she had lost was still slick. "Hey, Solaris or Lust or whoever you are, wake up!"

"I'm awake, damn you, Edward," Lust snapped irritably. "Or more to the point, I'm alive again. The things I do for family," she added as she sat up. She looked at Edward. "Now, we've got to follow them, if only for appearances sake. Otherwise, Bradley will ask questions."

"I've got a few myself," Edward said as he helped her to her feet.

"I've no doubt, but it can wait until we're on the train, with your brother." Lust wiped the blood from her now-healed neck. "You'll get the truth, Edward, but you'll have to be patient. Come on!"

* * *

They found their way into the sewers, but Greed and his underlings had covered their tracks well. They found themselves confronted by the burly form of Roa, wielding his massive hammer. "Greed didn't want me to do this," Roa said. "He says this is like charity, giving one of his possessions away. I know he values us, which is why I'm here to die. Bradley won't be satisfied unless he finds at least one corpse, Lust."

Lust looked at Roa, before nodding. "You're a brave man. Well, Chimera." She raised her finger to point at Roa's skull. "I'll make it quick."

"Wait." With a roar, Roa transformed, growing horns. He then swung the hammer into the floor a couple of times, and then the walls of the sewer some more times, digging up craters, and causing some rubble to fall. "There," Roa growled. "Now they know there's been a fight. _Ave Avaritia, morituri te salutant(_ _2)_." Having gathered himself with that little litany, he said, "Now do it."

"Thank you," Lust said solemnly, before her Ultimate Spear lashed out, impaling Roa through the skull. He barely made a noise, not even the strangled gurgle most made when she did that. And when he fell, it was straight down, with the gravitas and solemnity of a massive tree falling to the ground.

As Lust shook the blood and brain matter from her fingers, she said, "I'm sorry." It was meant for the corpse, and to her brother, than it was to Edward. He seemed to understand that.

"I don't say anything to Bradley about this, right?" Edward asked quietly.

"Not a word. Alphonse was kidnapped by Greed, we came to rescue him, we got knocked out, I got badly injured, but managed to survive through bio-alchemy. And we managed to kill Greed's underling, but the man himself, and the others he leads, has escaped. There's no guarantee Bradley won't catch him. I'm going to make sure I head back on the train with you. Be patient. You'll get your answers then."

* * *

As it happened, Wrath had mounted a raid of the Devil's Nest early, and was helping Alphonse out from underneath the crates. When he looked up, he asked, "What happened?"

"Greed managed to get the better of me," Lust snarled. "We managed to get one of his underlings, a human Chimera. His body's in the sewers. But Greed's long gone. I couldn't search any further without backup."

Wrath nodded. "A shame." He then interrogated the Elrics about any deals Greed offered. Thankfully, Edward and Alphonse stuck to their story. Eventually, Wrath relented, but told them it was in their best interests to leave Dublith before long. Lust offered her services to escort them to where they needed to go, at least until they got back to Central. Wrath, after a time, acceded, but asked Lust to talk with him privately.

When they did so, Wrath frowned. "That's not like you to lose so easily, Lust."

"Against a human, I would win easily," Lust said. "But Greed is a Homunculus, like you and I. Not only that, but he had his Ultimate Shield. I countered it, but he's a better hand-to-hand fighter than I. All he needed was one good, lucky strike. All that blood was from when he managed to rip out half my throat. I'd be hard-pressed to win against any of my siblings, even you."

"Yes. Some of the blood fell on Alphonse Elric's blood seal. He seemed disoriented, and said some things that I'm curious about. If you do intend to escort them, then try to get the information out of them."

* * *

Lust knew that Wrath was mildly suspicious. Not greatly so, but he seemed confused as to how readily Lust fell while fighting Greed. So it was to her relief that she finally got on the train with the Elrics, sitting opposite them, making sure they had a private carriage, and locking the door.

Eventually, Edward asked, "Are you a Homunculus?"

Lust nodded solemnly. "Indeed. Greed is my brother. And you've met Envy and Wrath. You know Wrath as King Fuhrer Bradley. He was born human, true, but we put a Philosopher's Stone into him. Didn't you think it odd that a man of sixty-odd years looks about two or three decades younger?"

"Never really thought about it before," Edward admitted. "But…what did you mean, you are our cousins?"

Lust leaned forward, and looked Edward in the eyes, his golden eyes meeting her violet ones. "It is a long story, but I have time to tell it…"

* * *

The Elrics were disturbed to learn of their heritage, of how their father was the last human survivor of Xerxes, and how he had been transformed into a living Philosopher's Stone. Of how Father, the original Homunculus, had caused the decimation of Xerxes, and how he intended to do so again with Amestris.

"That's horrible," Edward muttered, looking down at the carpeted floor of the compartment. "But why us? Why are we these 'Human Sacrifices'?"

"Because you engaged in Human Transmutation, both of you. Within you is a sort of Gate of Truth in miniature. Father needs five of them for his plans. That's why Wrath is so interested in your teacher. She saw the Truth too, didn't she?"

Alphonse nodded. "I did too, but I didn't remember until your blood touched my blood seal."

Lust scoffed sardonically. "Well, glad to be of service. Father's plans are almost complete. Liore was one of the last Blood Crests to be soaked into the land. That is why I was there, to help Cornello stir up trouble. But…Greed's words when he first left us affected me, and when you defeated Cornello, I began to realise that, if Father does attain his power, then he will either have me in perpetual servitude, or else discard me. He will certainly discard you two once you're of no further use. And I would prefer the uncertainty of doubt and treachery to the certainty of servitude or death."

"…How can we trust you?" Edward asked.

"Short answer: you can't, not completely, but I want your help in stopping Father. I can't do it alone. I have been frank with you two, and in doing so, I have put myself at risk." Closing her eyes, she thought for a moment. Then, she realised what she could say to bring them completely onside. "Once we stop Father, I will do what I can to restore your bodies."

Edward's eyes widened. "You can do that?"

"I don't know, but I told you of the Philosopher's Stone within me," Lust said. "I know you have qualms about using the Stone, considering what was used to create it. But if it can be used to take what you lost back from the Truth, then I will do so in exchange for your help."

"That's a pretty big bribe," Edward said, rubbing his chin in thought. "But you admitted you aren't immortal. The Stone keeps you alive for longer, but it's a finite resource. If we get into battle, and your Stone is used up, what then?"

"We'll burn that bridge when we come to it," Lust said. "Didn't you say you intended to stop at Rush Valley?"

Alphonse nodded. "Winry's there, apprenticing under one of the automail mechanics there."

"Your girlfriend?" Lust asked, with a wry smile to Edward.

"She's NOT my girlfriend," he scowled.

"Regardless, she is a close childhood friend, isn't she?" On Edward's nod, Lust said, "We'll have to warn her about this, at least in general terms. Wrath won't hesitate to use her as leverage if he thinks you are slipping off Father's leash. You do care about her, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Edward retorted.

"Then we need to make preparations," Lust said. "We'll also need to see if we can find your father."

"Why?" Edward demanded. "He walked out on us, that worthless son of a bitch!"

"He might also know how to counteract Father's plans," Lust pointed out. "He was at ground zero along with Father when the population of Xerxes was absorbed into him. He may know how to counteract the Amestrian Transmutation Circle. Plus, there's something else."

"What do you mean?" Alphonse asked.

"Father can turn off the alchemy in Amestris by his own will, because Amestrian Alchemy goes through a layer of his Philosopher's Stone. But there is a form of alchemy, according to Hughes, that uses a different energy. I haven't had time to research it, but it may be worth looking into. Xingese Alkahestry. It's what McDougal used."

"There was something odd about that alchemic reaction," Alphonse said. "And we thought he had a Philosopher's Stone on him."

"He did," Lust said. "We were planning to use him for our own plans, but he caught wind of them, and went rogue. If I had decided to turn on Father sooner, I would have recruited him. Wrath killed him."

Edward nodded. "Yeah, this is pretty weird. So, let's look at the Homunculi. You've got that Ultimate Spear thing, where you can impale people with your fingers. Greed had that Ultimate Shield. Wrath, you said, has the Ultimate Eye, and can move with blinding speed and strike hard. Gluttony's can basically eat anything, and transforms into a sort of mini-Gate when angered. Envy's a shapeshifter. Sloth can, when pushed, move at speed, and Pride is Selim Bradley, and he can move through shadows and the like."

"A crude summing-up."

"I knew there was something about Bradley when he cut up that spear I formed during my exam," Edward mused. "I didn't even see him draw his sword, let alone slice up the spear. I'd hate to face him."

"Indeed. His body still ages like a normal human, unlike the rest of us, but he is as superhuman as any other Homunculus." She looked Edward in the eye. "This is what we are up against. At stake is the continued existence of every human being in Amestris. If that is too hard to grasp, think of your friends and family, reduced to alchemic fuel within a Philosopher's Stone. Let that be your spur. There is no guarantee of victory. There is every possibility of defeat. We are up against a being who has been planning this for a long time, and has allowed for almost every contingency."

"Yeah, well, I don't care. You're right. If we lose, our friends will be nothing more than power for that monster," Edward said, his automail hand clenching. "I won't lose."

Lust smiled, feeling a genuine happiness at Edward's pronouncement. Save for Greed, her actions were likely to turn the rest of her family against her. It was good to have the Elrics by her side, even if she had to improvise to get them on side. Of course, the question remained, what to do next? Once they returned to Central, maybe she could figure something out…

 **CHAPTER 7 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Lust manages to get the Elrics on side, and Greed and most of his Chimeras live to fight another day. It doesn't mean that Wrath is not suspicious, though. Anyway, next chapter will be Rush Valley and the debut of Ling Yao. It'll be a while before that chapter, as I need to re-familiarise myself with his debut, and I would have to consider how Ling would react to meeting Lust.**

 **I actually wondered how exactly Lust would persuade the Elrics to work with her. While they would be willing to help stop Father anyway, they would still be suspicious of Lust and her motives, hence her offer. In fact, should I reach the conclusion of this story, I actually have an excellent idea for the climax.**

 **Review-answering time!** **Alchemical Guest** **: I thought I'd let you know, I have a Harry Potter/Fullmetal Alchemist crossover, currently only in its early stages, called** ** _Truth and Consequences_** **. You'll find what you want in the fourth (and as of writing, latest) chapter, but I recommend the story so far. I mean, what other fanfic has Luna Lovegood snogging Lust?**

 **As for your recommendations, I don't think** ** _Truth Revealed_** **would do it for me, but I might look at it later. I gave** ** _Phylactery_** **a quick look, but it didn't do it for me either. I'll have to look at it in further detail, but at the moment, they didn't appeal to me. Frankly, the only** ** _Fullmetal Alchemist_** **fanfics I have enjoyed so far have been** ** _Daughter of Flame_** **by sakurademonalchemist,** ** _Even the Wizards Must Pay Their Due_** **by Gamma Cavy (these first two are crossovers with Harry Potter), and** ** _Pride and Punishment_** **by Traitor of All Traitors (a oneshot crossover with** ** _Neon Genesis Evangelion_** **).**

 **Guest of 111** **: Well, I thought the ratio of good fics to shit fics was higher, but whatever. Many of the fics I favourite are favourites of my own favourite authors, as long as I actually like the fics in question. I would never have favourited, for example,** ** _The Best Revenge_** **or** ** _Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality_** **had I not found them in the favourites of Gregg Landsman. Even so, you'd think that people would do fanfics with at least some care. Spelling and grammar errors are a sticking point of mine. I can excuse some, and I do have some errors in my works I can't be arsed to fix, but some stories that had a lot of potential were messed up by bad spelling and grammar, not to mention sentence and paragraph construction. And formatting. I try to take some care in doing my fanfics. Glad you enjoy my fic anyway.**

 **1\. Greed says something similar while captive and about to be melted down by Father. I thought this the sort of thing he would say to unnerve her.**

 **2\. Roa is saying a modified version of the supposed gladiatorial salute (the only known historical use of the phrase, AFAIK, was for a mock naval battle rather than a gladiatorial fight). He's saying, 'Hail, Greed, those about to die salute you'.**


	9. Chapter 8: The Vagabond Prince

**CHAPTER 8:**

 **THE VAGABOND PRINCE**

After the revelations on the train, Edward and Alphonse began to ask questions about her life as a Homunculus. Lust, citing Equivalent Exchange, asked for stories about their own lives. And as they spoke, Lust could feel an undeniable bond forming, of sorts, or at least emerging from where it had been for some time, since at least the first time she found out their relationship. A bond of family. They felt more like her brothers (even though they were cousins of a sort) than most of her family. Only Gluttony and perhaps Greed and Envy held any similar place.

One incident that Edward spoke about that tugged at Lust's heartstrings was how he spoke of Nina Tucker. Lust knew of the incident, of course, but to hear what happened from Edward Elric's own lips brought it home to her that these were more than just names, but people with lives of their own. In fact, after hearing about exactly what happened to Nina, Lust was glad that Scar had killed Shou Tucker. That she felt a sense of actual outrage at what had happened to the little girl and her dog brought it home to Lust how much she had changed over such a relatively short period in her life. So too did the fact that she wanted to bring him back from the dead, only to kill him again, and slowly.

After she told them about her final encounter with Father Cornello, and her urging Rosé to evacuate Liore, she finally broached what would be the most painful subject of all: their mother's death, and their disastrous attempt at reviving Trisha Elric with alchemy. The two took turns telling their sad and painful tale, though it was livened up a bit by the time they spent studying and training under the harsh regimen of Izumi Curtis. When they described what they did, and how they ended up in the sorry state they were in now, Lust frowned. "Well, I can't confess to know everything that went wrong with that. But I believe I know one thing that may have caused it."

"What is that?" Edward asked.

"You used your blood as part of the process, right? Were you trying to derive your mother a new body from that, along with the chemicals?" On their nods, Lust sighed, putting her hand to her face. "Well, that was at least one reason why you failed."

"Why is that?" Edward asked.

"One of the subjects I have studied recently is genetics, the science of hereditary characteristics(1)," Lust said. "According to the latest theories, the parents contribute a randomised half of the genetic material to a child in biological conception. In simple terms, you have inherited half of your characteristics from your mother, and you can't be sure which half each of you got. Therefore, your attempt to clone your mother's body was flawed to begin with, especially as your father's characteristics would be in the mix as well. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you screwed up, even aside from breaking the taboo on Human Transmutation(2). I do know that the blood is added for the soul, but even then, your souls are distinct from your mother's."

"Shit," Edward snarled softly, putting his own head in his hands. "All that for nothing."

"Reviving the dead seems to be a surefire way to see the Truth," Lust said. "You said your teacher tried to revive her stillborn child and lost some of her organs, including her womb, into the bargain. That she remains such a strong and formidable woman despite all of that is admirable. But reviving the dead is impossible, as far as I know."

Alphonse nodded. "I know. But we're more concerned with getting our original bodies back. I want to be able to taste, to smell, to _feel_ again."

"I can't imagine what that's like," Lust said sincerely. "I'm not sure I want to experience it."

Alphonse nodded again. "I'm…I'm glad you told me that Barry the Chopper was lying, Lust, about my memories being fake and all. Edward seemed to be hiding something from me, and when Barry said all those things, I wondered whether he was telling the truth or not. Edward was just worried whether I blamed him for being bound to this armour."

Lust smiled gently. "Alphonse…Barry the Chopper was an unrepentant serial killer, as well as a mad and loud guard dog whose usefulness had ended. Even before he was bound to the armour, he was a monster in every sense of the word. And to tell the truth, I saw too much of myself in him. Ironically, although I am called Lust, most of my desire has been for bloodshed. Now, I am not sure what I desire, only that I will never find out should Father succeed…"

* * *

Lust had only been to Rush Valley once before, on some minor errand or other for Father decades ago. The town hadn't quite been so bustling or busy back then, despite the name. For the first time, she felt some degree of her long life, thinking about how much Rush Valley had changed. She groaned inwardly at the thought, of feeling _old_. Next, she'd be taking up knitting and starting a collection of cats. Then again, it wasn't like the Elrics could talk: apparently Alphonse had a habit of of keeping stray cats in his armour.

It was interesting to meet Winry again, and now properly. She was apprenticed to one of the automail mechanics, Garfiel, and she was allowed to take a break from her work, though not before she checked Edward's automail over for any damage. Finding only a few things objectionable, she assented to being brought to a private room to talk.

There, Lust revealed who she was and why she needed to talk to Winry. The girl was, understandably, horrified at what she had learned, but Lust could tell that, despite her sometimes boisterous exterior, she was also capable of keeping secrets.

"The reason why I told you this, Winry," Lust said, "is that Wrath, or Bradley as you know him, may use you as leverage against the Elrics. You are the Elrics' closest friend."

"What should I do?" Winry asked.

"Be especially wary of anyone from the State Military, barring those closest to the Elrics. In other words, anyone other than Mustang and his people, Major Armstrong, or Hughes."

"What about those two people with Armstrong? Denny Brosh and Maria Ross?" Winry asked.

"I don't know. The problem is, they may be too loyal to the chain of command to disobey anyone like Bradley. Mustang's ambitions to become Fuhrer, though, make him more trustworthy, ironically. I am yet to tell him or Armstrong, but Hughes knows. He stumbled across the Nationwide Transmutation Circle. Winry, I know this is a burden, but Edward trusts you with his automail, and you know how he came to need it. I am putting a lot of trust in you, though this is as much for your sake as it is for mine."

Winry nodded. "Thank you, Lust. I appreciate it. I still call you Solaris publicly, right?"

Lust nodded in her turn. "It is my public name."

"It's a nice name," Winry said. "I actually prefer Solaris to Lust. What sort of father names their child after a mortal sin?"

"I am the embodiment of Father's Lust," Lust said. "He wasn't exactly creative with his nomenclature." She looked down, and thought, before emitting a chuckle. "Now that I come to think of it, the most creative thing he did was naming Van Hohenheim, and tricking the King of Xerxes into making that Transmutation Circle. Whereas humans…not all of them are creative, but some make the most wondrous things. Like you and your automail. Father cares little for human creativity, save for how he can twist it to his own ends."

Shortly afterwards, Lust met Paninya, a young former pickpocket with dark skin and automail legs who was repairing the roof. Apparently, she had pickpocketed Edward of his State Alchemist watch on their first trip to Rush Valley. While Edward wasn't exactly happy to meet her again, Alphonse was, to some degree. Still, Lust actually felt mildly jealous of these humans' relationships. They came about so easily. Humans were very social creatures, and sometimes, bonds could arise from the most unlikely of situations…

* * *

Lust had heard of a Xingese proverb once, from a long time ago. She didn't know how exactly it had come into Amestris, but she heard of it. It wasn't so much a proverb as a curse: _May you live in interesting times(_ _3)_.

She already knew she lived in interesting times, and had done so ever since she consciously made the decision to rebel against Father. Today, however, proved to be interesting in more ways than one.

It started when Alphonse came across someone passed out in an alleyway, a young man (well, older-looking teen, as it turned out) with long dark hair tied up in a ponytail, and with handsome Xingese features. At Alphonse's urgings, they brought said person to a restaurant, whereupon he ate a ridiculous amount of food.

The Elrics did have enough money to cover it, but Lust decided to use the purse she kept in a rather special and intimate spot whenever she walked abroad as Solaris to pay for it. "You're my heroes!" the guy said with a broad, relieved grin, his Amestrian tinged with a faint Xingese accent. "Thanks a lot!"

"I'm sure we can work out a payment plan," Lust purred.

"Oh, no need to bother with such details!" the man said. "Oh, to be treated with such kindness in a foreign land does my heart a world of good."

"Whereas the fried food won't," Lust snarked. His performance was just that: a performance. He was putting on a mask to hide his true motives, so she decided to fish for information. "You're from Xing, aren't you? The last I heard, the railroads from there were all but buried by sandstorms from the desert."

"Yeah, well, I walked here, or took horses and camels."

"You could have come by sea," Alphonse pointed out.

"True, but I wanted to see the ruins of Xerxes, you see," the guy said.

Lust frowned. Few went to see the ruins, even tourists. What did a Xingese traveller, who was wearing a sword in a scabbard, want there?

"So, what are you, a tourist?" Edward asked.

"No, no, I'm actually doing research on _Rentanjutsu_ …or perhaps you would know it as alchemy?"

"As opposed to your Alkahestry," Lust said. Inwardly, she was excited. Maybe he knew enough about Alkahestry to give her a headstart on finding a way to scupper Father's plans.

"Oh yeah, that's what you call our techniques," the man said. "Anyway, Alkahestry, our alchemy, is normally used for medical purposes, whereas here in Amestris, it's more of a general science."

"It's partly because the military has the monopoly on alchemic research," Edward mused. "We're surrounded on all sides by belligerent states. Aerugo in the south and Creta to the west are always encroaching on our borders. Theoretically, we are at peace with Drachma to the north, but really, we hate each others' guts. If it weren't for the Briggs mountain range, it'd be broken in an instant."

"Not the most stable of states, huh?" the stranger remarked.

"It's been this way for a long time," Lust said. "But with Bradley ascending to power, the government focused on alchemy being used for military purposes."

"Perhaps if we were more benevolent, more peaceful uses for alchemy could be found like in Xing," Alphonse mused.

Lust scoffed. "Xing is not without its own problems. I hear little from that land, but what I do hear is that there are a ridiculous amount of factions within it, not helped by the current Emperor having as many concubines as the noble families can throw at him, and the waters of the succession being muddier than a cesspit. He's also a thoroughly unpleasant man, by all accounts." Lust noted with some interest that the young man reacted somewhat to her mentioning this.

"Yeah, you're right," the Xingese man said with a shrug. "Of course, if I mentioned it around the wrong ears back home, it'd ensure my family and I get killed. Just out of curiosity, are you three alchemists?"

"The blonde one is Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist," Lust said. "The armoured one is his younger brother, Alphonse. Both are accomplished and highly-skilled alchemists. My alchemy is somewhat highly specialised, but I have significant knowledge nonetheless. You may call me Solaris."

"Well, my name is Ling Yao," grinned the young man. "Are you guys state-sponsored?"

"Edward is a State Alchemist, while I am…state-sponsored in another way," Lust said.

"Never mind about that," Edward said, leaning forward eagerly. "I think Al and I would like to learn about your Alkahestry, particularly your medical techniques. Do you know anything about them?"

"Nope. Sorry, I'm not actually an alchemist."

"And yet you're researching Amestrian alchemy," Lust said, raising an eyebrow, even as the Elrics looked dismayed. And then, she had a horrible realisation. One that was confirmed by Ling's next words.

"Well, I am looking for a specific item, really. Have you guys heard of the Philosopher's Stone?" His expression became rather serious, his smile becoming a schooled, confident smirk. Lust knew this man was very dangerous. "It's something that I need, you see, so if you guys know where to find one, I'd appreciate knowing."

Lust held up a hand to silence the Elrics, before she said, "You are treading on very dangerous ground, Ling. For what reason do you want it for?"

"Why, immortality, of course," Ling said cheerfully.

"And why does immortality matter to you?" Alphonse asked.

"Call it family business," Ling said.

Lust grinned herself. His earlier reaction, plus his choice of words, brought everything into relief. "Ah, so you're one of the Emperor's would-be heirs." His startled expression made it worthwhile. "Well, tell me something, Ling, would you be willing to live forever, if only it was caused by scores of people being sacrificed?"

He peered at her, curious. And she noted that he wasn't fully enamoured with such an idea. "Well, tell me what you know, and I'll think about it."

"Ah-ah-ah," she said, waggling a finger chidingly. "In Amestris, we go, theoretically at least, by the principle of Equivalent Exchange. I want to know about Alkahestry. You want to know about the Philosopher's Stone. Even if you are no alchemist, you should know more than we do."

"Well, I don't know much about Alkahestry, so we're at something of an impasse," Ling said, before snapping his fingers. Lust felt rather than hearing the movement behind her, and whirled in her seat to find a pair of figures in black covering outfits and elaborate masks holding the Elrics hostage. "Well, not anymore."

"Well, that's rather rude," Lust said, smirking. She then extended two of her fingers, sharpening them, and putting Ling's neck between them. "Oh look, we're at an impasse again. Except…" She swung her other hand, without looking, at the level of their feet. All four had the sense to jump as her Ultimate Spear swept along the ground at ankle-height, but it gave the Elrics time to break free, though their assailants took up positions, ready to fight.

Ling, although slightly nervous, kept up his grin. "Well, aren't you full of surprises? Well, so are we."

Lust sensed the knife being hurled her way, and used her Ultimate Spear to slice it into segments. "That is very rude, you know," she remarked.

"Who are you to speak of manners, uncouth common wench?" demanded one of the masked figures, an older man judging by the sound of it.

"Well, holding people hostage is not very polite," Lust said. "Of course, it means I am sinking down to your level, but you started it. Back off from my family, or I will end it in a very violent and messy manner."

One of the masked figures flipped over her, and tried to sever her Ultimate Spear. Key word being 'tried', as the sword ended up being cut up. Lust, with a sigh, used her other hand to trap this one's neck between her now-extended fingers. "I said, back off. Are you really so stupid as to think I am bluffing? Now, you may have a vow to die for your master, but know that he will follow you if you try anything stupid."

The masked figure she was holding hostage barked an order in Xingese. He was apparently the older man. Ling then said, "Fu has just ordered Lan Fan to stand down."

Lust risked a quick look. The other masked figure was indeed keeping their distance. Upon returning her gaze to her captives, she smiled. "See? You can make a good decision when you try. Now, like I said, you tell me everything you know about your Alkahestry, no matter how trivial. In exchange, I will tell you the secret of the Philosopher's Stone, and if that does not deter you, then where you may find one."

The older man looked over at Ling, and spoke to him in Xingese. Ling replied rather calmly in the same language, before nodding. "Sure, why not? Though I'm curious as to why your ki is so weird. Like a lot of people mashed up into one."

Lust gave him a smirk, withdrawing her fingers, hiding her surprise that he seemed to be able to sense her Stone. "Tell me what you know about Alkahestry, and you might find out…"

 **CHAPTER 8 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **The Elric brothers and Winry are brought up to speed, and Ling makes an appearance. Now, I wanted Lust to know some things about Xing. It's possible that she does. She doesn't know a lot, just enough to put the pieces together.**

 **BTW, for those of you who despaired that I didn't like** ** _Phylactery_** **, don't worry, I've gone back, given it another go, and I actually read the first half a dozen chapters. And yes, I like it. It's now in my favourites.**

 **Review-answering time! Well, one: namely,** **Guest of 111** **: You're welcome.**

 **1\. I presume that, while the name genetics is around, it's still a science in its infancy in the universe of** ** _Fullmetal Alchemist_** **. Keep in mind that the series is set in an alternate 1910s, and while genetics existed, it was still in its infancy. I've tried to keep some elements close to what would have been around at such a time.**

 **2\. sakurademonalchemist discusses this whole thing about genetics and sex-chromosomes affecting the Elrics' attempt to revive their mother in their** ** _Fullmetal Alchemist_** **/Harry Potter crossover** ** _Daughter of Flame_** **. So that's where I got it from.**

 **3\. Supposedly, this is a Chinese curse in our universe, but that has been long debunked.**


	10. Chapter 9: Allies from the East

**CHAPTER 9:**

 **ALLIES FROM THE EAST**

The sextet relocated to the roof of Garfiel's automail shop. Lust had to admit, Ling's knowledge of Alkahestry was pretty pathetic, so she asked, as compensation for the secret of the Philosopher's Stone, a brief summary of the politics of the Xingese Imperial Court. Fu, who had removed his mask to reveal an older but still strong man with an impressive moustache, had protested, but Ling had waved off his concerns. Lan Fan turned out to be an attractive young woman, to the surprise of Edward. And she was Fu's granddaughter to boot.

After getting confirmation that Ling was one of the royal heirs, and getting some new information, Lust said, "The Philosopher's Stone is produced through mass sacrifice. I asked if you were willing to sacrifice scores of people to live forever. That is what producing a single Stone entails, killing multiple people, their souls the fuel of the Stone."

Lan Fan caught on first. "You have one within you, don't you? That is why your ki feels like a multitude of…"

"Your bodyguard isn't just belligerent and beautiful, but she actually has a brain too," Lust remarked, causing the young woman to blush slightly. "I didn't ask to have one implanted in me, though if it's all the same to you, I would rather keep it. In any case, if you were to try and take it by force, like say by ripping it out of me, it'd only leave you vulnerable to attack. And to implant one in yourself to gain immortality is dangerous. The multitude of human souls within can overwhelm your real soul, drowning you forever."

"And yet you have one in you," Ling said.

"I've had one in me since I was…created." She had considered saying 'born', but decided to risk telling them some, if not all, of the truth. "I am a Homunculus."

"An artificial human, huh?" Ling mused, clearly understanding the term. "So, assuming you're telling the truth, and taking it from you by force is more trouble than it's worth, where can I find another Stone?"

"You really are set on obtaining one, aren't you?"

"Well, it's not like I'd make one myself. I'd rather steal one that's already been made. And assuming you're telling the truth, well, it's certainly a risk I'm not so sure about taking, not yet, anyway. The thing is, I need power to ensure my family's future, not to mention those of many of the other noble families. They're all scheming bastards, but not all of them are bad. But some will wipe out the other noble families, should they have the opportunity. And that'd descend pretty quickly into civil war."

"I see," Lust said. After a moment, she said, "I'd suggest getting yourself some travel papers if you haven't already. No need to let the State Military arrest you for being an illegal immigrant or anything."

"And the Stone?" Fu asked.

"I know places that have some in storage. But they are regularly audited, so we need to be careful taking one."

"So you're really intending to help them?" Edward asked.

"Equivalent Exchange. Besides, the more allies we have, the better."

"Allies?" Edward asked.

"A Philosopher's Stone is valuable. In exchange for one, I would like their assistance."

Fu muttered something in Xingese to Ling, who replied, apparently waving off concerns of the older man. Ling then said, "And what assistance can I give you, Solaris?"

Lust folded her arms. She was taking a risk here, but sometimes, well, how did that old saying go? Who dares, wins. "Amestris is a country on the edge of destruction, and not from without, but from within. You said you looked at the ruins of Xerxes when you came here, didn't you?"

"Right. Your point?"

"How exactly did Xerxes disappear?"

"Nobody knows…" Ling said, before a thoughtful look came over his face. "Or rather, almost nobody. You wouldn't be asking such a question unless _you_ know."

"My creator, Father, was the one responsible," Lust said. "He was himself a Homunculus created in Xerxes. He tricked the King, who wanted immortality, into creating a Transmutation Circle across the entire nation. Ditches were dug in the shape of a circle, blood was spilled at specific points. But the King didn't receive the immortality he wanted. Father, and another, did instead. The people of Xerxes, reduced to two massive Philosopher's Stones. Father journeyed west to Amestris, while for a time, from what I heard, Von Hohenheim, the man I spoke of, journeyed east briefly."

Ling and his guards shared a look, before he said to Lust, "Now that you come to mention it, at about the time Xerxes disappeared, our legends state that a Sage from the west came to us, and taught us Alkahestry. Are you saying it's the same guy?"

"I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me," Lust said. "These two are Von Hohenheim's only known offspring, sired when he settled down with a mortal woman. As I am a child of Father, and Father was created using Von Hohenheim's blood, that makes them my family, cousins, perhaps. And no, they do not have Philosopher's Stones within them. They are as human as you are."

"I do not sense the ki of a living body in Alphonse's armour," Lan Fan pointed out. "I sense ki, yes, but not in the way a body would. It is most odd, somewhat more diffuse than it should be."

"There was an accident involving my brother and I," Alphonse admitted after an uncomfortable silence. "He bound my soul to this armour."

"He's still human, dammit!" Edward snarled, his hackles raised. "We paid for our mistakes! We're trying to find out how to restore our bodies! That's the reason Al and I were interested in Alkahestry."

"In any case, our lives, along with that of everyone in Amestris, will soon be forfeit. Father intends to repeat what he did with Xerxes, but on a larger scale. He intends to use such an alchemic reaction to absorb the power of what he considers to be God, so he can take God's place," Lust said.

"By God, do you mean the Truth, Solaris?" Edward asked.

"In all likelihood, yes. Imagine Father with that sort of power. Or don't, if you'd prefer not to have nightmares for the next few years. Assuming we live long enough."

"What do you mean by the Truth?" Ling asked.

"I don't know whether you have a taboo against Human Transmutation in Alkahestry, considering it's medical, but Human Transmutation, usually that to revive the dead or to manipulate the soul, is Amestrian alchemy's ultimate taboo. Break it, and you are drawn into another dimension, from accounts. You are confronted by an entity known as the Truth, which takes part of you as a form of karmic payment in exchange for being able to do alchemy without a Transmutation Circle. Edward lost his leg, and Alphonse lost his body. Edward lost his arm when he bound Alphonse to that armour. A teacher of theirs lost her womb, and other internal organs."

"She speaks of the Judge of Soul Thieves," Fu remarked. "Only a few have seen the Judge, those who presume to steal souls from their rightful place in the Hereafter. He steals something of their own. You two are very foolish."

"We know that, all right? We're trying to find some way to restore our bodies, but we're not going to do anything as stupid as human transmutation again! Not if we can help it! I need to get Al's body back! I don't care if my arm and leg remain metal!"

After a moment, Lan Fan said, "Your bond of brotherhood is strong."

"And your will is admirable for a fool," Fu remarked.

"They're both accomplished alchemists for their age," Lust said. "And had it come to a fight, you would have done well not to underestimate either of them. I have seen them fight. Well, Alphonse, anyway. But back to the point at hand: I would like your help in stopping Father. In exchange, I will give you a Philosopher's Stone. I will also help you engage in negotiations with whoever succeeds Fuhrer Bradley as leader of Amestris, if Xing wants to open up diplomatic and trade relations."

Lan Fan and Fu began talking with Ling, who already seemed to have come to a decision, despite the protests of his advisors cum bodyguards. "Okay, you've been pretty frank with us, laying out what you want and why you want it," Ling said. "Helping with a _coup d'etat_ in another country in exchange for paving my way to the throne of Xing? Yeah, I guess there's something to that Equivalent Exchange thing. You're right about those papers, so I think we'd better get that dealt with as soon as possible…"

* * *

Greed sighed in annoyance. He had come to the Ishvalan shantytown that Lust had indicated, but Scar wasn't there. Apparently some former State Military douchebag called Yoki had been here, and noticed Scar still alive, and had threatened to turn him in. Scar had dealt with Yoki's hired thugs, and had moved away from the shantytown for the safety of the others.

That being said, Lust's name was enough for the elderly leader of these slums to send word to Scar, and soon, a boy came back, saying that Scar would be back later, but he was dealing with something. Meanwhile, Greed entertained himself and his followers by listening to the old man's stories. He had to admit, the old codger was an interesting conversationalist. Even so, he found his mind wandering.

Sis had had a change of heart, had she? Probably just as well, she was easily the smartest of them, or at least the smartest who had some independence of thought. Pride might be the smartest, but he was also the most arrogant and loyal of them to Father. Gluttony and Sloth were idiots. And Envy? He was so hot-tempered, he was easy to rile. He was smart enough to be a good spy, coupled with that shapeshifting ability of his, but even so, his intelligence often went out the window when he was annoyed. And Wrath being Bradley probably meant he was utterly loyal to Father.

Lust, however, he felt a kinship he hadn't felt with his other siblings. She saw much further than the others, had that faint spark of initiative that wasn't there, save for in Pride, and Greed hated Pride. It was mutual. Shadowy little shit embodied his mortal sin even more than Greed did, and that was saying something.

"Do you reckon this is a trap?" Martel asked. The snake Chimera was sitting next to him in one of the tents of the shantytown. She was one of his lovers as well, with those snake attributes giving her some very interesting capabilities in the bedroom. However, he also valued her abilities as a soldier and as an advisor.

"Dunno. I think Lust was being sincere. I've heard about this Scar guy. He's a noted serial killer of State Alchemists, so while it'd be risky, given what we are, he's not about to betray us to the State Military."

"Indeed," came a rasping deep voice. Greed and Martel turned to look at the man standing in the entrance of the tent. He had to admit, Scar was pretty impressive. A tall, muscled Ishvalan, his hard face marred by a cross-shaped scar. He had the build of one of their warrior monks. He also had an intimidating presence, his glare an impressive one. "I have more to risk meeting you than vice versa, Greed. Especially as you and your companions are an affront to Ishvala, and your companions are former State Military."

"Yeah, well, we all have our own problems, Scar. I didn't ask to be born, though I ain't gonna die just yet, affront to your god or not," Greed said lazily. "Besides, Martel here didn't ask to become part-snake. Stepped on a land-mine first, you see(1). But we're not here for a theology debate. Theology bores me. My sis sent me here, told me to seek you out and wait with you. She did tell you about Father, right?"

"Yes, about his origins in Xerxes, and the link with the Elric brothers. It incenses me even further that our civil war was engineered as little more than a step in your Father's masterplan," Scar growled. "All those people dead."

"Yeah, well, Dad was kinda a Grade-A douchebag. He'd give about as much thought to most human lives as you and I would give much thought to ants," Greed said. He then noticed Scar had a couple of companions. One, a rather obsequious, unpleasant type with a stupid moustache, was probably Yoki. But there was a Xingese girl, her dark hair braided into multiple plaits, about eleven or twelve years old, accompanied by…was that a small panda or something? Greed had seen pictures from the few books that left Xing, but he thought pandas were bigger. "Who's the kid?"

The girl looked a bit annoyed at being called a kid, but she said, "I'm May Chang. Your sister is the Homunculus Lust, right? Scar has been telling me about her. So…I was wondering…do you know anything about the Philosopher's Stone?"

 **CHAPTER 9 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Sorry about the long wait for this chapter. And I have some bad news. I intend to put this story on hiatus after this chapter. Not, I will hasten to add, abandoning it, just putting it firmly on the backburner for now. It'll probably be months at the least before I get back to this story.**

 **Leaving aside the lack of inspiration for this story, the thing is, by doing this with Lust and Greed, I've pretty much sent the story of** ** _Fullmetal Alchemist_** **off the rails, and I'll probably need to re-read the series in order to figure out what to do next. I also have a lot of other stories being worked on, and other stories have fallen by the wayside, not just this one.**

 **Once more, though, I must emphasise that** ** _Saligia_** **is NOT being abandoned. I hope that I don't abandon it, either. I hate abandoning my fics.**

 **Oh, and I've brought May Chang in early, or at least at the time she arrives in** ** _Brotherhood_** **rather than the manga.**

 **Review-answering time!** **vangian13** **: I'm still deciding as to how Envy will join their cause, though I'm pretty sure he will.**

 **1\. I saw this on the wiki. I can't remember this being from the manga or** ** _Brotherhood_** **adaptation, so I presume it was from the original anime.**


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